Matthew Colin Honeycutt

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Many people ask me to describe my work, but I can't always do that. I dislike defining what I do by ascribing to it some genre, or "ism". But if I had to call it anything. I'd say it's "allegorical surrealism"; I use figurative and symbolic motifs to build a personal subconscious narrative. But in the end what I see in my painting isn't necessarily what anyone else sees, and that's pretty much the whole point anyway. Ultimately, I believe all art is a subjective experience insofar as its meaning relies solely on the inner interpretation of the individual. Talking about it is pointless. Looking at it is all that matters.

Although I studied art in college, I'm essentially self-taught. Since I was a child, the making of images has been all I've wanted to do, and so I've worked at doing just that. Many years of experimenting with different media and materials, a variety of techniques and approaches, subject matter and themes, have all kept me returning to the philosophy described above. Still, each new painting is in and of itself a completely new learning experience, and I try to never let myself believe that I actually know what I'm doing.

In addition to being a working artist for many years I've also had the privilege of teaching a variety of art subjects and techniques to aspiring artists aged 5 to 80 at the Tucson Art Institute and in Tucson Unified School District.

My work has been exhibited at:

• Pima Community College Gallery, 1980, Tucson, Arizona
• Gallery 810, 1985 Tucson, Arizona
• Tucson Art Institute Faculty Gallery, 1987-1992, Tucson, Arizona
• Drinking Gourd Gallery , 1991, Tucson, Arizona
• Studio 346 Gallery , 1991-1992, Tucson, Arizona
• Cafe Quebec Gallery, 1994, Tucson, Arizona
• Flash Gallery , 2004, Tucson, Arizona
• Raices-Taller Gallery, 2005-present, Tucson, Arizona
• Tupelo Road Gallery, 2003-present, Tucson, Arizona

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