Matthew Snowden

Matthew Snowden was born in Heswall, Merseyside in 1969. He studied at Withens Lane Art College, 1989 followed by Industrial Design (BA Hons) at Teesside University, 1990-93.

“Every year I pack up my motorhome, cameras, sketchbooks and enough provisions for a few weeks wild camping and head off into the landscape. Spending time in the outer edges of remote areas of the UK at certain key times of the year is a vital part of my creative process, and essential for gathering potential source material.  The painting itself is undertaken on my return back to the studio from memory and by utilising the many moments captured on film.

Distilling these experiences in paint with a palette knife is always a challenge, each new painting being a unique experiment in application of pigment, texture, colour, and mark, each a distinct portrait of place. Using copious amounts of paint to carve form, you could say that I like to make my paintings as robust as the landscape they depict.

Being an intuitive artist, I like to leave room for the unpredictable while I am working, allowing the viscosity of the paint to dictate where the painting is heading and at the same time not lose sight of the subject and overall feel.

In the end, I am happy when I have achieved a genuine portrait of place, and have captured what I feel to be the true nature of a landscape.”

Matthew Snowden has been represented by Thackeray Gallery since 2015.