The Hunt by James Mattison, Oil on Wood Canvas, 2024

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James Mattison (1990) is a self-taught fine artist focusing on contemporary impressions of people and his surroundings both of his … Read more James Mattison (1990) is a self-taught fine artist focusing on contemporary impressions of people and his surroundings both of his home in New England and beyond. Born in Portland, Maine, James started painting at an early age but it
wasn't until after he finished college that he found himself working as a fine artist full-time with the George Anderson Gallery.

Graduating from Stetson University in 2018, earning a degree in Digital Arts and Marketing, James started his career as a Graphic Designer in Florida. After building up a portfolio, he moved across the country to pursue a position with a
long-term client in Portland, Oregon.

In 2020, James proudly found himself back in Maine where he was given the opportunity to co-manage the George Anderson Gallery, Portland, ME. Since then, James has had the freedom to find himself as a painter, creating pieces that display emotion and a sense of atmosphere through strong lines and vibrant colors.

"I’ve always admired artists that boldly use color. It takes confidence to view color as a choice. Light and shadow inspire countless possibilities and color arrangements, and it is with those choices between the lines that an artist proves their sense of certainty.

My paintings and their subjects are meant to invoke a feeling of relatability. Typically, my portraiture isn’t anyone in particular. But they are relatable figures. I’ve worked many jobs that required close reading of peoples’ body language and behaviors, and to me, it’s instinctive for an audience to look at someone with intention and try to understand an emotion. I think that instinct is crucial in how someone may interpret a painting. How do we read the expression on their face? What is their body language telling us? Adding up these factors together will give the audience a sense of what the subject is expressing and we as the viewer can relate that feeling to a time and place of our own experience. These emotionally charged portraits are an introspective take on moments of honesty with myself.

My landscapes generally have a sunny and warm disposition. They feel comfortable and more often than not come from a sense of gratitude. They may be places I’ve visited and found striking or a fabricated scene that feels more like a memory. When I paint, it’s an outlet. Whatever I am feeling at a given moment finds its way to the canvas eventually. Whether it’s a person, place, or thing, I hope to capture a sense of solitude. My work is both technically unique and fused with a
feeling of connective emotionality. That’s where the value lies. Painting is a means to express myself and to start a conversation with a sense of honesty and a feeling of togetherness through times of remoteness." - James Mattison

---Dimensions---
Width: 48 in / 121.92 cm
Depth: 0.75 in / 1.91 cm
Height: 36 in / 91.44 cm See less