Behind the Art: Matt Duffin May 24, 2005 JBFA artist Matt Duffin agreed to share some of the details of his daily life for "Dimensions." Matt balances his roles as father, husband, and artist by working at his studio in his Nevada City, California home, which he shares with his wife Shelley, son Finn, daughter Olivia, three horses, a dog, and four cats. Julie Baker will present new work by Matt Duffin and Dalton Jamieson with a show August 26 - October 8, 2005. Q: What are your studio habits? A: I used to have to heat the place up like a sauna and paint in my boxers. Now I use an oscillating ceramic heater two feet from the painting to keep the wax soft. When I start a painting, I have to cover all the windows with black felt to keep the light out and to help set the mood. This is really unappealing when it's nice and sunny outside. For this reason, I try to work at night as much as possible. In the evenings while I paint, I like to indulge in red wine and listen to music, which, at the moment, tends to be of the dark, twangy, folk genre. Q: What does your studio look like? A: My studio is a large open space that doubles as a guestroom. It used to be a completely self-sufficient apartment with a full kitchen. I converted the kitchen island into a big work table and most of my framing happens there. The studio looks out onto a sprawling patio that we've been working on for years. Its full of plants and intricate rock work. It's a nice place to escape to when the artwork gets too intense. It's like the only painting that I actually get to keep - until I sell the house. Q: What is a typical day for you? A: I try to milk the morning coffee as much as possible. I usually start the day off outside working on the patio or visiting the horses and goats. When I begin to feel really indulgent, I make my way inside, towards the studio. Once there, I seem to find any available distraction to avoid having to sit at the easel - it's a matter of getting over that initial hump. The more guilty I feel, the closer I get to the painting. Once I get settled, hours will pass before I realize it. Then I'll look up and get depressed to see how little progress I've made. I'm happiest if I'm in what I call the homestretch - the point at which things have gone from being roughed-in to actually looking like what they're supposed to be. That's when I get to spend days obsessing over minute details and enjoying the fact that I've rounded the corner from mud to realism. When I'm in between paintings, I can wear a hole in the carpet, pacing. Q: Do you think the imagery in your work is influenced by your surroundings? A: No. Most of my subject matter comes from something that someone says or something that I see. For example, I recently heard someone say, "I'm all ears." An image immediately popped into my head of someone sitting in a chair with a head that consisted of layers and layers of ears, kind of in the shape of an artichoke. Little did that person know that a month and fifty six ears later I would have a painting called "I'm all ears". Sometimes I go into town and browse the antique shops looking for something old and quirky. This is how I came up with the idea for "Mr. Answers". And although it would make sense that the donkey pieces were inspired by our idyllic country setting, I actually spent days doing donkey searches on Google. However, I did have a goat recently that may or may not end up in a painting. Q: Why live in Nevada City? A: I've always been drawn to intimate small-town settings. I'm intimidated by the idea of trying to get the artwork going in the city. Here, I can milk my morning coffee. There, I'd have to wake up to an alarm clock, hustle and get my coffee to go. My wife and I also feel that this is a much better place to raise a family. Q: What has the experience been like for you since showing your work? Is it hard to let go of work? A: I don't have a problem with letting go of the artwork. I'd much rather have someone who appreciates it display in their home. I used to hang my stuff up in my studio and my house, but I began to feel that it was too conspicuous. It was as if it were saying to people "Hi. I'm Matt's artwork. Don't you think I'm good?" Being that most people don't even draw, I felt that it made them uneasy. It made me uneasy, too, for that matter. One of my most favorite pieces to date has been sitting in my closet for three months now, waiting to be hung in a show. Shows are like a double edged sword: while it's nice to get feedback and a positive response, the attention makes me feel uncomfortable. I do like to see my work hung on a well-lit, stark white wall, however. Q: Are your kids around while your work? A: I love to have the kids around when I'm working. I love to hear their little voices and comments about my work. They pop in and out throughout the day. The goat used to pop in and out, too, but we had to put a stop to that. Q: What motivates you to do your art? What is your goal in doing it? A: I think the thing that drives me the most is that I cannot imagine doing anything else. I have a checkered past of odd jobs that seem interesting and colorful but that ultimately were tedious and under-stimulating. I worked for a year at the Briarpatch (local food co-op) in the produce department stocking and restocking fruit and vegetables - a job akin to working for the postal service. I got to the point where I felt like I was dying inside, so I withdrew into my studio and dedicated myself to getting my work out there. Three years later I'm still at it, so it seems to be working. As far as what my goals are, I just want to be able to continue to work as an artist for as long as it enriches my life.