matthew r. Mccain

After years as a writer, I always dismissed the idea that there was any other way to communicate. Given my past struggles with addiction and mental illness, I eventually learned expressing yourself is one of the greatest ways to keep those dark thoughts at bay. However, as I’ve ventured into the artworld, I realized that art really is another form of communication and it allows me to say things no amount of words ever could. And, I’ve been doing that ever since. Each piece is painted and specifically titled to convey a message. And by doing so, it forces people to engage more to find the hidden meaning. I love the idea of how people can see different things while looking at the same image and I really try to exploit that in my artwork as much as possible. My artwork is very emotional and I use a lot of grey scale so color is used somewhat sparingly because I’m a firm believer a lot of growth can come from being in the shadows and therefore we shouldn’t be afraid of them. As someone with Bipolar disorder, and as a suicide survivor, the illness can be challenging on some days, but it benefits me in a way to be able to view things in a different and emotional perspective compared to others.