Maggie Matthews
Maggie Matthews: “My work is inspired by peoples desire to invest meaning into everyday objects.
“I have a collection of pebbles and shells, chosen over time, that have become resonant with emotion. Maybe I found them at poignant moments or was intuitively attracted to their simple beauty. Time is traced upon their surface and I try to interpret the markings and shapes, fixing them with ephemeral memories. In recognition of this connection I have gilded some of the natural forms to be found here.
“In this complex society it is difficult to find our own identity and maybe it is the very act of searching for beauty and finding meaning that brings us some tranquility.”
Born in Wales, Maggie Matthews moved to West Penwith in 1988 and has since gained recognition as one of Cornwall’s leading painters.
Inspired by the shore and the landscape, she sketches outdoors, later translating her drawings into paintings in the studio. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout Cornwall and the UK and has also exhibited in America on Nantucket Island and New York in the ‘White Columns’ exhibition.
Commissions include BBC Wales Broadcasting Studio where a permanent collection of Maggie’s paintings are on display during broadcasts. In 2021 nine of her original paintings were acquired for permanent display at The Grange Hospital in Wales. Details were also extracted from each painting to create largescale liquid laminated wallpapers. Each artwork beautifully introduces light, colour and texture into what can be clinical and busy spaces.
