Colin Matthes

How satisfying to say Trump is a fascist. Democrats are commies. Republicans are evil. Let’s Go Brandon (at least this one is funny). LOCK HER / HIM UP.

Does anyone want to see more “orange man bad” art?

I made this on the occasion of the RNC visiting Milwaukee. It is installed in the lobby of the Saint Kate Arts Hotel.

Instead of a tedious or clever limp-wristed jab, I am using this space to consider what the Right gets Right. Join me.

What is Right about the Right? Installation in a vitrine in the lobby of the Saint Kate Arts Hotel, H. 82 x W. 77 x D. 42 in, ink, acrylic, and pencil on paper, 2024

The images are in a random order. This is similar to viewing the drawing in person.

These are images from my 2023 exhibition at The Alice Wilds.

About the work:

My studio used to be expansive and industrial. Now, our family lives in an overgrown suburb from the 70’s. It’s My Fault; It’s Free was made in the garage, the basement, and in bed recovering from knee surgery. High on painkillers with my leg elevated, I made drawings about four horsemen, snakes, and using a pencil. The drawings, part of my series Essential Knowledge, teach skills for success in challenging situations.

Once I was able to hobble around and in line with my increasingly domestic concerns, I started making sculptural seating and lighting that I imagine using while drinking cocktails. These somewhat utilitarian objects, paired with somewhat instructional drawings, are what life looks like now.

I am making things on an island; I like it here.

Essential Knowledge, is an ongoing series of drawings teaching skills for success in challenging situations. The subjects range from building a row boat from an abandoned gas station to soothing a baby, from improvised coffee making on the road to constructing a mobile border wall. These drawings are a way for me to research, think, invent, and tell stories.

EK: V1 is a museum-quality print portfolio including twenty screen printed and sometimes hand-embellished prints from Essential Knowledge, my ongoing series of images teaching skills for success in challenging situations.
 
This first volume is about navigating external factors in the world. The prints range from early works like Encoding Messages to recent images including B-Nice and Shark Attack. By spending time with this work, we will all become a little more formidable when facing life’s challenges.
 
The portfolio features twenty screen prints. Seven of the prints include hand embellishments. The portfolio is presented in a 25 x 19 x 2-inch red archival box with custom foil stamping and includes a perfect bound catalog of all the prints.

EK: V1 is an edition of 25. It is available for purchase by email. $3,000

Collectors include:

Harvard University, Houghton Library

Stanford University

University of Connecticut (UCONN)

University of Michigan

Essential Knowledge, is an ongoing series of drawings teaching skills for success in challenging situations. The subjects range from building a row boat from an abandoned gas station to soothing a baby, from improvised coffee making on the road to constructing a mobile border wall. These drawings are a way for me to research, think, invent, and tell stories.

I draw with my kids, seven and four years old. Their freedom and joy while drawing is contagious. Once the kids are asleep, I unwind by drawing in my studio or on the couch while watching shows and having a few drinks with my wife. In the morning we start again.

This daily drawing cycle produces cathartic, satisfying drawings of moments piling up. They combine imagination, influence from the kids, objects we live with, and narratives from books and shows.

I have abandoned indecision and self-consciousness, making these drawings without an agenda. I simply draw because I draw.

As my daughter said, the days go by like wildness.

I am more free than ever.

- Colin Matthes, 2022

I draw with my kids, seven and four years old. Their freedom and joy while drawing is contagious. Once the kids are asleep, I unwind by drawing in my studio or on the couch while watching shows and having a few drinks with my wife. In the morning we start again.

This daily drawing cycle produces cathartic, satisfying drawings of moments piling up. They combine imagination, influence from the kids, objects we live with, and narratives from books and shows.

I have abandoned indecision and self-consciousness, making these drawings without an agenda. I simply draw because I draw.

As my daughter said, the days go by like wildness.

I am more free than ever.

- Colin Matthes, 2022

Green Mini Demo Derby is a solar-powered remote control car demolition derby.

Businesses sponsor race teams. Each team gets its own driver, car, and uniform.

Green Mini Demo Derby events have been at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 and at Inova Contemporary Art Gallery in 2013. You must watch the videos on this page to truly get a feel for the Green Mini Demo Derby.

Listen to a story about Green Mini Demo Derby on All Things Considered.

Past Race Team Sponsors Include:

Ace Hardware

Alternative Currents, Inc

Beans and Barley

Belair Cantina

Brenner Brewing Co

Central Waters Brewing Co

Colectivo Coffee Roasters

Full Spectrum Solar

H&H Solar

Honda Motorwerks

Illinois Green Economy Network

Inovateus

K-12 Energy Education Program

Kankakee Community College Wind and Solar

Kyocera

Madison Solar

Midwest Photovoltaics

Midwest Renewable Energy Association

Milwaukee Shines

MREA Board of Directors

North Wind Renewable Energy

Quick Mount PV

RENEW Wisconsin

Riverwest Public House

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance

Panasonic

Planet Plan Sets

Sky High Skateshop

Solar Systems of Indiana

Soligent Distribution

Sterling Solar Works

Sunrun

Tesla

Waterfurnace

Hey Dan,

Here’s a quick tour of my work, including some landscape drawings that compliment your dark, moody aesthetic.

I’ve included my chaotic, decadent pencil drawings, which could easily illustrate historical events — such as when a king is served his son's flesh, perhaps.

You’ll also see a third style in pieces like Janus, Autocratic Leadership, and Landing a Plane.

And to round it all out, I’ve added some straightforward design work: a Muhammad Ali poster, the cover for a recent issue of The Baffler, and a poster for the AFL-CIO.