Bio
Matthew R. Paden (b. 1977) is an award-winning contemporary abstract artist living in Oklahoma with his beautiful wife and daughter, Matt's larger-than-life pieces astonish in both private and public exhibits.
Specializing in Spontaneous Realism, Paden often uses vivid and expressive colors with lots of palette knife texture to create the strikingly evocative acrylic pieces.
From his atmospheric “Utopia” series, to the eminently realistic “Famous Faces”, the artist masterly captures the subtlest of emotions and delicate moody intricacies.
Despite his diverse choice of subjects, Matt’s body of work is united in its ability to evoke emotion and awe in the viewer, with precise details etched amongst broad yet perfectly executed brushstrokes.
Statement
Why Do I Paint?
"I have always loved art — seeing it, learning about it, experiencing it, and creating it. Perhaps, it is the unbridled freedom in expressing, and questioning the often-chaotic world around me.
I paint because it feeds my soul when words fail, colors, and brash brush strokes upon a canvas convey an understanding at a deeper level. Doing something that I love, something that allows me to explore, and be in the moment, to experience the world in a fundamentally different way — is such a precious gift."
- Matthew R. Paden, 2020
Famous Faces
"With diverse influences as Elton John and Clint Eastwood, my "Famous Faces," Spontaneous Realism series juxtapositions representational art with fluidity and vulnerability apparent in abstract expressionism. Splashes of vivid color along with dynamic brushwork fuse vigorous combinations synthesized from opaque and transparent layers enhanced into a prestige manifesto.
By reconnoiter the relentless credo of Pop-culture and the emotional reminiscence of celebrity icons from decades past. Only leaving a sense of decadence and the chance for a new understanding. As momentary derivatives become static through emergent and various practice, the keen observer is left with a subtle clue to cultures that are fading away."
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist."
― Pablo Picasso
Vitae
EXHIBITIONS
GROUP
July - December 2020
Carpe Artem Gallery, Oklahoma City
June 27th - 28th
OK Art Crawl - OVAC
Chickasha, OK
June 6th - June 27th, 2020
Steve Liggett Studio, Tulsa, OK
Poetica Erotica - "Enchanted"
June 2019
Steve Liggett Studio, Tulsa, OK
First Annual Tulsa Erotic Art Show -
"Sensual Chaos"
May 2019
Water's Edge Winery - Oklahoma City, OK "Bold & Vivid"
February 2019
A.C.T. Gallery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma -
"Erotic Art Show"
January 2019
A.C.T. Gallery, Tahlequah, Oklahoma -
"Tri-County Art Show"
February 2003
Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
"Into The Sunset"
February 2002
Art Institute of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
"Expressions of Blue"
January 1997
Congressional Art Competition, Washington, D.C. -
"Victory Touchdown"
October 1996
Congressional Art Competition, Salem, Oregon -
"Victory Touchdown"
November 1995
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
SOLO
November 2018 - May 2020
"Famous Faces," Oklahoma City
Water's Edge Winery
October 2018
"Vivid Visions," Oklahoma City -
Water's Edge Winery
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
"Inspired," 10-Piece Series
Trever Yarrish, Grants Pass, OR
AWARDS
October 2003
Art Institute, Phoenix, AZ
Best In Show
June 2002
Art Institute, Phoenix, AZ
2nd Place
January 1996
Congressional Art Competition,
Salem, OR - First Place
November 1995
Oregon State University
Honorable Mention
PUBLICATIONS/PRESS
Lifestyle Big Talker Radio 97.1
Flagstaff, AZ March 2021
The Magazine Plus, Clarksville, TN
February 2021
Boston Herald.com, Lowell, MA
February 2021
Muskogee Phoenix, Muskogee, OK
May 2019
Tahlequah Daily Press,
Tahlequah, OK - February 2019
Denver Westworld, Denver, CO
June 2009
Portland Tribune, Portland, OR
May 2007
Willamette Week, Portland, OR
October 2006
KVAL News, Eugene, OR
April 2005
Phoenix, Gazette, Phoenix, AZ
July 2003
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS &
DEMONSTRATIONS
Strange Earth Studio
Midwest City, OK - April 2021
Mid-Del Art Guild
Oklahoma City - January 2021
Carpe Artem
Oklahoma City - November 2020
Mid-Del Art Guild
Midwest City, Oklahoma - March 2020
Mid-Del Art Guild
Midwest City, Oklahoma - February 2020
Muskogee Art Guild
Muskogee, Oklahoma - May 2019
A.C.T. Gallery
Tahlequah, Oklahoma - April 2019
A.C.T. Gallery
Tahlequah, Oklahoma - February 2019
Community College Colorado
Denver, CO - October 2009
Lane Community College
Eugene, OR - April 2007
Phoenix, AZ School District
Phoenix, AZ - February 2002
NOTABLE COMMISSIONS
Trever Yarrish, Oregon
"Inspired" series, July 2020 - July 2021
(Private)
Danny Phillips, Program Chair-Mid-Del Art Guild
"Groovin' Free Together," April 2020
(Private)
Absentee Shawnee Cultural Preservation Department
"Untamed," July 2018
(Public)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
1st. Vice President/Show Chair
MID-DEL ART GUILD
October 2020 - Current
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OVAC - Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition
Mid-Del Art Guild