Featured Artist – Matthew Harding

Featured Artist

Matthew Harding – Los Angeles, CA
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Born and raised in the Bruekelen Housing Projects in Brooklyn, New York, Matthew loved cartoons and animation for the artwork and spent lots of time drawing his favorite animals and cartoon characters. Always displaying a vivid imagination and constantly daydreaming during class. His mother and grandmother always encouraged a career in art. His grandmother was the first to ever tell him to become a painter. She would admire sunsets and tell him that she bet he could paint them if he tried. Matthew made frequent trips to Florida as a child visiting family. It was on one of those trips that he met the first professional artist/writer he had ever seen in his life. He spent hours on the train drawing pictures with the artist. His first and only collaboration was done with that artist on that train. Considering all those things Matthew still wouldn’t think of a serious career in art until 2010.

Working at a natural foods store in Manhattan he met an oil painter that would encourage him to paint. Spending plenty of time drawing and occasionally designing logos and tattoos for friends, that’s as far as he would go. ​

Matthew fully decided to pursue his career in art and simultaneously follow his dream of moving to Los Angeles, California. If you ask him what he is inspired by he would tell you everything, such a broad spectrum, but its truth. He is inspired by his own thought, statements heard, things observed, world issues, social justice, the plight of people of color in America and abroad, and also the Brooklyn streets he is all too familiar with. His subjects are usually people of color, mostly women. Growing up in a family that is predominately women reflects in his work, along with his religious upbringing. He is still early in his career and although he has plenty of subject matter he intends to cover, he is still trying to find his style.

Matthew is also completely self taught. Since he began painting in 2013, Matthew has only participated in one group show in 2015 and has had his work displayed in Unurban Café in Santa Monica. He does sell most of his work. He intends to participate in many more shows in the future and also seeking out residencies and art fairs and festivals. He also plans to have his first solo show in the near future. His goal is to one day own his own gallery to help emerging artists like himself to breakout into the art world. While another goal is to create a youth program to give underprivileged and inner city kids an opportunity to find an outlet through art. One of Matthews favorite quotes is by someone he deeply admired, his grandmother who would say “We are all on this planet together, we have to look after one another.” Matthew tries to live his life by that quote.​