Matt Kania's Labor of Love: DOing Exhibition Honors Makers

"Doing A Painting"

"If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint."
–Edward Hopper, American Artist

This past Monday the Zeitgeist had an opening reception for a new series of oil paintings by Matt Kania. The exhibition is titled DOing: A Labor of Love.

Over the years I've many times observed the care with which people express their passions through their craftsmanship and attention to detail. Kania's title cuts straight to the heart of why we see exquisite designs, finely crafted boats, carefully carved utensils, musical instruments and picture frames. The paintings here show people baking bread, turning bowls, weaving and making things out of sheer love for that process of creation.

"Forming Loaves"

In Matt Kania's case he loves to paint, but he has been very much taken with the careful approach others take when "doing" what they love.

Born in the heart of Chicago and later raised in the farm country of Illinois, early on Matt Kania developed a deep appreciation for both urban environments and wide open spaces. To this day, Matt tends to thrive and feel equally at home in a fast paced city and in the quiet of a far removed wilderness. As a result, his imagery tends to be eclectic – sometimes focusing on themes based in culture and at other times looking at themes that revolve around the natural world.

Kania says, "The commonality in my work is a reflection of the view that 'all experiences are equal'." A deeply rooted love for Lake Superior and northern landscapes eventually landed Matt in Duluth, where today he can be seen carrying his paint box to environs around the lake to paint 'en plein air' or mixing paints in his studio to work on his next composition.

"Nels J Incarnate"

EN: When did you start painting seriously? Who were your influences?

"Hanging Art in the Met"

MK: I started painting with seriousness at age 45. Although, growing up I knew that I would be a painter in my adult life. Historically influential painters include John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, George Bellows, Edouard Manet -- and numerous Russian painters from the Twentieth Century, such as ... Fedor Vasilievich Shapaev, Vladimir Feodorovich Stozharov, Aleksei Belykh, Aleksei and Sergei Tkachev (brothers). Contemporary influences include Mary Pettis, Neil Sherman, and Sarah Brokke.

EN: Your portfolio includes a lot of plein air work. What do you enjoy most about painting outside?

MK: The aspect of plein air painting that I love and appreciate most is the 'direct' nature of painting on location. It is the combination of my interaction with the setting and subject and my reaction to the changing conditions (changing light, changing weather, the transient aspect of a scene).

EN: How did the DOing series get birthed in you?

"Turning Bowls" 

MK: In recent years I found myself increasingly interested in 'cultural landscapes' -- that is, settings and subjects that say something about people and their influence on a place. At times I have found this more satisfying than painting a natural landscape. But, of course, nature has something to tell us as well! As an extension of my interest in cultural settings I decided to force myself to paint people engaged in their own forms of creating. This all began with watching a woodturner crafting beautiful, functional wooden bowls from simple blocks of wood.

EN: Where did you get your schooling? What did you learn from school that has helped you?

"Making Dumplings"

MK: I'm a person who is driven by both left-brain and right-brain ways of thinking. So, as a young adult I cultivated an education in the scientific world -- earning degrees in geography and cartography. As a maturing adult I have actively pursued art education through the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Highpoint Center for Printmaking. My extensive training (classes, workshops, mentorship) as a painter has come under the direction of Mary Pettis, Neil Sherman, and Sarah Brokke.

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To see more of Matt Kania's work, visit: http://mattkania.com/

"Parisian Portraitist"

"Throwing A Tumbler"

Meantime, art goes on all around. Get into it.