MATTHEW OSMON 

I attempt to explore relationships between self-awareness and the subconscious. My aim is to present enigmatic, engaging and challenging micro-narratives filtered through an invented environment evoking a dream reality where juxtapositions and  concepts get shaken and stirred creating new and surprising narratives. The images seek the complicity of the spectator in the play between the real and unreal, the conscious and subconscious, the poetic and mundane and the shadows where these concepts overlap.

My recent paintings are focused on symbiotic relationships between parts of the self and the many forms of resistance that one faces in the context of the subconscious and the creative self. There are parasitic relationships between parts of myself that I always struggle with. There are also mutualistic relationships between parts of the self as well as commensalistic relationships. There are parts of the self that are murderers, anarchists, cowards and courageous champions. While these new works fit into a familiar visual world I enjoy playing in, there are some new circumstantial elements at play as well. Largely these works were executed during the Covid-19 Pandemic. For me it is impossible to look at the work and not see the emotional influence the quarantine had on their creation. My daughter Ada also made her way into each piece. Ada had a very interesting way of coming into the studio and making extremely profound and relevant observations about the evolution of the drawings. Her insightful comments directly influenced the direction of these new images. She is the hero in this world.