SNUGGLE UP | MATT JUKES

Meet Matt Jukes, whose dreamy abstract original landscapes have the power to transport you to places near and far.

Please tell us a bit about yourself, and the journey you took to become an artist.

Art has always been a part of my life with some of my earliest memories being of me planning paintings. I channelled this planning into a design degree and a career in advertising before focusing back on printmaking.

What helped you to get to where you are today?

All of my work is about finding miss-remembered memories. I try to capture the emotion of a place instead of a physical representation of a location. So, in a way, all the people and places I've been to across my life have become the experiences that my mind merges together into fuzzy memories

What was the first piece of art that moved you? What was it about it that grabbed you?

Growing up in Melbourne, I studied modern art through the colour plates in books; I remember Rothko just washing over me. It wasn't until I made it to the Rothko room in the Tate Modern that I understood why people were moved to write books about him. I was fascinated about his use of colour, layering and the textures this produced and how it was able to affect my mood physically.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration starts with a colour, usually a colour which has caught my eye on the way to the studio. From then on my materials guide me towards the end piece.

My biggest advice to anyone going through a dry spell is to paint through it, show up every day, remove your critical eye, and make a mess. Slowly something new will present itself!

Do you have any habits, or a routine, that help you harness your creativity?

It's the structure, which harnesses and focuses my creativity. My routine — a walk to the studio with a podcast on, which gets me thinking about the world and puts me into the right state of mind.

What is your current favourite piece in your own body of work? Why does it hold a special place in your heart?

The latest piece I am working on is always my favourite. Sometimes it is, however, a problematic relationship, as we get to know each other, slowly finding shape and form, but it's still the one that most excites me. So right now my favourite pieces are the vast canvases, which allow me to get lost in colour.

What was the latest piece of art that you bought yourself?

The last piece I bought was a “Japanese Gin Bottle” by Jo de Pear as part of the #ArtistSupportPledge. Her cyanotypes inspired me to learn the process myself.

If you could choose three pieces of work from the Artsnug collection, what would they be?

I'm a huge fan of Andrew J Millar and I am lucky enough to have one of his screenprints. I would also love to have one of his polaroids.

Olivier Leger's work has transfixed me for years and I would love one of his full-scale pieces… I just need a wall big enough!

I also love Linda Bernhard’s collage “JFK”, there's a beautiful playfulness there.

Anything else you would like to share with us?

I love colours, which have a real depth to them, so I will quite regularly overprint hundreds of transparent colours to build up a solid colour.