For his latest exhibition, Matthew has been exploring Mostyn Hall.
He has created a collection of 40 paintings which show the house both as a place full of history, and as a home, albeit an unusually large one.
Lord Mostyn kindly gave Matthew free rein, and he stalks the house from attic to scullery! The current residents are elsewhere, but watchful portraits look on. Tall cupboards stand sentinel. The silent, curious light skates over polished floors and panelling, glancing across the patient furniture. We see stone steps with their time-worn treads. Neat, sun-bleached rugs.
With his customary perception and knack for telling observation, Matthew lets his subject speak, catching the modern, quotidian life of the house threaded through its long history and carefully preserved tradition. It’s public and private functions. A discarded mug on the desk, half-empty boxes, a cushion to keep a door open.
And as ever, his fascinating ability to catch the way the light behaves animates these rooms. The textures of wood, stone, glass and wool are all brought vividly to life. And the world beyond these shadowed spaces tugs at us through mullioned windows and half-open doors. His work is subtle and contemplative, eloquent and discrete.
Matthew has been exhibiting with us since 2013. His work is popular, unmistakeable and widely collected. He lives in Mid Wales with his family.