Matt Gallagher
Matthew Gallagher is an artist based just outside of Cleveland. While surrounded by famous and contemporary bodies of work from masters of the Renaissance, and classical styles, Mat Gallagher retains a style of his own that is eye popping and of a future age.
Paintings, Artwork
Using a variety of techniques, Matthew Gallagher creates an effect of three dimensional depth to his canvas paintings. Part of the technique is after painting the canvas the desired backdrop color, Matt will lay string and wire across the canvas methodically and paint over that in a manner that suggests depth and space. By layering the strings with a competing or collaborative spectrum of colors, Matt accentuates this sense of space he creates.
A lot of what is explored in Matt’s art is simple shapes, and their possible roles in space. Using the string method, Matt is able to bring a depth to the paintings that allows him to explore points and positions of simple shapes one wouldn’t capture in a painting traditionally.
When looking at one of his paintings, one may feel as though they are taken to a space that is specific and exquisite, inviting or ominous and awe inspiring. In his works that explore less of a space and realm, Matt focusses on what look to be synaptic and meant to evoke the image of energy. When you look at one of his pieces you may call to mind the processes of the brain, or the waves visible when observing sound.
If this were too much of a jump to make, we wouldn’t remark on it. Though if you all are familiar with the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, you’ll undoubtably remember the final sequence in which the protagonist seemingly travels through a black hole and experiences an out of body surge of senses, colors, and sights. A parallel type of energy seems to take place in Matt’s work, uniquely and with its own exquisite beauty.
A former student of Oberlin College, Matt Gallagher stands out in terms of a style of art that is popular and well liked by the wide observing public. With many years ahead of him, Matt Gallagher is sure to perfect his craft and bring many advancements to the type of style he is so uniquely gifted at producing.
Thomas Ruff, an artist, chooses to express himself with the medium of photography, though his work explores the limits and possibilities of that medium. Thomas Ruff uses multiple techniques for multiple projects in his photography. His techniques spanning from the modern 3D possibilities in photography and advanced digital manipulation, to dark room and development techniques that would have been used long ago in the 20th century, or 1970s.
A big form for Thomas Ruff is 3D imagery. In the increasing popularity of 3D in film and television is perhaps where Thomas Ruff’s work became noticed, however Thomas Ruff’s use of 3D is well suited to create Pop Imagery, which in its loud, eye popping style, fits naturally to be seen in the 3D element. Imagine the old Warhol paintings, their bracing color and pleasurable obtrusiveness, can you imagine them in 3D? In my opinion such works of pop art are well suited to 3D, as it adds to the shock, pop experience of seeing a celebrity, or simply the vivid color and bright simplicity of some of his pop work. In terms of 3D, Thomas Ruff also has rendered some NASA shot interplanetary images and overlayed them with another color. Perhaps as an idea once cannot tell the value, however in person, seeing the 3D landscapes of the moon or mars and the stars surrounding them surely makes an impression.
effect of shifting what might appear as smut into something more artful and calm. The digital glaze laid on top of a carefully selected still can bring out the shape, color, and innocence of exploration and the human body, as if one were looking at a soft, angelic sculpture fashioned by Michelangelo.