Art by Andrew Alan Matthews

 Andy  grew up in Moss Side Manchester in the 1970's and 1980's and has always been interested in Art from a very early age and has produced his Moss Side nostalgia collection which was sold to a private collector. He has good and bad memories of Moss Side and has made life long friends here. Manchester is in his heart and soul and he is a proud Mancunian.

Andy a Manchester based artist, was also employed in the textile design industry reproducing accurate, fine quality, hand painted artwork for many years. He reproduced artwork for all the leading textile companies in the UK. He then undertook a B.A.Hons Textile Degree at Manchester Metropolitan University graduating in 1999. 

He has produced many design pieces inspired by flora and fauna throughout his career and has widened his knowledge in other areas. His subject matter is varied and he has produced watercolours, gouache, acrylic and mixed media artworks over many years which have shown his virtuosity in differing styles. 

He has produced children’s illustrated books which have been inspired by his daughter’s love of reading and was determined to produce them for her education and enjoyment. 

Andy has produced commissioned artworks of still life, landscapes, portraits and has sold artwork to companies and private collectors.

Andy has put emphasis on the use of dark and light in his city scapes giving a modern urban feel and depth to the artwork. Andy has developed his own unique style of painting inspired by L.S Lowry's characters using loose free flowing brush strokes and palette knife and ink allowing the characters in the paintings to evolve from the paint. 

Andy has recently completed his cities of the world collection, Salford Quays and Manchester by night collection all depicting skylines at night.

Andy will be continuing with his cityscape collections concentrating on vibrant Manchester, Salford and London scenes, he will also explore and produce Expressionistic/ impressionistic, themes with the main focus on linear marks, balance and colour

Andy is currently revisiting his Moss Side Nostalgia collection and with the aim of displaying them in the Whitworth Artgallery, watch this space for future updates 

I produce art and video stories of people, places and social issues and try to bring positivity to people through my art. My videos put the meat on the bones of the paintings and highlights -   The Good, The Bad And the Ugly.    

Who I am, Business mission statement and philosophy.    

Andrew Alan Matthews is a proud Mancunian Artist producing affordable original artworks of Manchester, Salford, London and beyond.   My brand promotes positivity focusing on Manchester and the UK through my Art.      My philosophy, Brand and aim in life is to overcome negativity wherever that may be turning negatives to positives. This is based on my own personal experience of stress in life and how I have learnt to overcome this.       By producing and selling my Artwork in the form of my products I have achieved this.      

Motto - BEE positive,    

Andrew Alan Matthews Artistic Statement.      

Michelangelo and all the great masters have strived to achieve perfection, this is an unachievable goal.   My art is not perfection, there is beauty in imperfection. with a slip of a brush, palette knife and ink can lead to a happy artistic outcome.   

My artwork is heavily inspired by artist L.S. Lowry and I often create characters, through inking, which evolves from the paint thus bringing them to life.  

L.S Lowry chose to paint in his style and way, I choose to paint in my style and my way.    

I have evolved my art today to be expressionistic/impressionistic and free flowing which for me is a relaxing way to paint whilst helping with my stress

L S Lowry’s Art  & Andrew Alan Matthews Art  

When I went to University I loved the whole learning experience I attended lectures on various artists and one artist who stood out to me was L S Lowry.

I used to think Lowry’s Art was not very good, that was until the Art lecture on Lowry.

Now Lowry was capable of producing a high degree of art and was an accomplished artist. He chose to paint in his style. I also choose to paint in my style.

Lowry’s Art is nostalgic & a heritage of 20th century life of Manchester & Salford  

I believe My Art & videos are nostalgic of modern Manchester & Salford 

Now nobody paints like Lowry, he painted in oils & only used five colours, almost like a fresco building thick layers of paint.

I use a wide colour pallet & use Acrylics; I prefer this paint as it gives me the free-flowing style I am looking for and I can apply my paint in thick layers to give texture.

I put emphasis on dark and light using lots of colour to give a modern but nostalgic feel to the Art trying to reflect Manchester & Salford today.

Now Lowry painted in muted greys and whites & reflected Salford & Manchester at the time.

Manchester in the 19th century was the hub of the British empire exporting around the world & workers were not regarded as human beings but as cogs in the machinery of the industrial revolution & conditions were poor.

Lowry wanted to paint a story image of the people of his time. he had selective vision and only put in what he wanted to put in reflecting his vision of life at the time. in a way this is what I do in my art. 

I select modern Manchester and Salford scenes and try to do a story image of the people and Manchester and Salford today. 

Lowry chose to paint his art in a primitive way. Just like cave paintings of primeval man coming from the primordial soup of life. he wanted to breathe life into his art.

Lowry’s art is nostalgic of his time, I Believe My art is also nostalgic of my time.

I try to bring my characters to life in the painting by the use of my croquis method in my style, allowing the characters to evolve from the paint.

Lowry was an expressive painter, so am I.

I try to express Manchester and Salford in my style allowing the characters to evolve and come to life in the paintings I produce

I try to paint a picture of the people & scenes of Manchester, Salford and beyond and express it in my style and is an expression of Modern life as I see it today.

In my Work stress collection, which can be found on my website there can be a resemblance of workers in call centres as cogs in modern machinery with the aid of the computer.

The “I am not a number?” painting and corresponding artwork is a reflection of this modern-day technological revolution. and of people working in call centres, worker Bees and cogs in the modern technological revolution.

But is only a selective vision of Modern work today.

some companies are better than others.

The company I work for now is a good ethical company that looks after the wellbeing of the staff they employ. 

I suffer from stress and I use my art to overcome this, by using my website and video diaries to voice my opinions, this helps relieve my stress.

Now Lowry’s art is a memory of a past gone by with a rich heritage of Salford & Manchester nostalgia. I believe my art is nostalgia of modern Manchester & Salford.

I try to reflect the mood of people and scenes in my videos and paintings and put this on canvas in my style.

I paint my art because I enjoy it and it helps me to deal with my stress.

Now you have got to enjoy life to the full because you never know when the big man or woman upstairs is going to say come in number 13 your time is up.

and I take a leaf out of my dad’s book now and always look on the bright side of life. 

So, my message to you is BEE positive guys

CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS 

I donated a painting for a charity raffle with the COOP to raise funds for Blood Bikes Manchester   THE CHARITY DRAW ON THE 22nd MAY 2018 HELD AT THE COOP, RAISED A LOT OF MONEY FOR BLOOD BIKES MANCHESTER.    

 I donated two paintings to the British Heart Foundation in Sale in 2021 as my friend Ricardo Cowie was going through a heart operation.     

I donated two Limited Edition Prints to the Wythenshawe community team.    This was to help the homeless to get new blankets, tents, food etc and help to get them into accommodation, the raffle  was on the  5th June 2022 for the Queens Jubilee celebration at The Silver Birch Pub Wythenshawe.    

I try to bring awareness on the plight of the homeless by using my art and videos.   I am a hard working family man and struggle to keep a roof over my own head.  We are only a pay check away from the streets ourselves.    So  I try to help the homeless in my way and that is through art.    So if you are interested in my art and what I have to say.      

Check out my homeless video and art collection and other inspiring art and videos.    

Andy likes the works of L.S Lowry, Michelangelo, William Morris, Picasso and Salvador Dali. Vincent Van Gogh and :-

Songs and things I Like

The genius that is, John Cooper Clarke, the greatest modern poet that ever lived 

Beezley street – it could be any street in Salford or Manchester Moss Side - https://youtu.be/3mzrnVbsaXk

Thirty six hours - https://youtu.be/CIm5C10a3Ts

Frank sinatra song I did it my way   https://youtu.be/9SXWX6qg0y4

always look on the bright side of life link  https://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M

Val Doonican , Walk Tall https://youtu.be/BvYhoPo7Drw

The Good the Bad and the Ugly https://youtu.be/AFa1-kciCb4  a film my Dad loved

Madness , I chase the Devil AKA Ironshirt  https://youtu.be/c15cNjcVP1c

Oasis The Masterplan. Lowry. https://youtu.be/dPPi2D6GK7A

John Clease Truth https://www.facebook.com/thejohncleese/videos/586579685568675/?t=1

Lowrys Matchstick Men  https://youtu.be/kmopSVOMSsU

Salford Museum and Artgallery Press release written by Alison Short

August 29th 2023 

Local painter to exhibit in the gallery that inspired him to become an artist

An up-and-coming local artist is opening an exhibition at Salford Museum & Art Gallery this September, showcasing 21 pieces of art depicting Salford and Manchester by night including The Lower Turks Head, Salford Quays and The Imperial War Museum.

55-year-old Andrew Alan Matthews from Northern Moor in Manchester will present a collection of expressionist paintings of Salford and Manchester at a new community space called The Park Gallery. He is the inaugural solo artist to show work in the newly created exhibition space.

Andrew’s work is gaining worldwide popularity as not only are the paintings colourful in a unique style, but he brings his art alive with the addition of poetry and storytelling.

From humble beginnings, Andrew was born in Winsford, Cheshire, before his family moved to Moss Side where he grew up during the 70s and 80s. He then lived in Salford for 18 years’ and now resides with his family in Northern Moor, Manchester.

No stranger to Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Andrew was inspired to be an artist after a visit to the museum with his parents as a curious six-year-old where he saw the painting Famine by John Charles Dollman, and was mesmerised by the dramatic, moody piece. It was in this moment that he knew he wanted to become an artist.

The family were living in Moss Side at the time and his parents, his father a bus driver and his mother a cleaner, gave him a sketch pad and oil pastels and he began to draw beautiful animals, copying images found on cigarette cards. It became obvious very quickly that he had a strong artistic flair, and his talents were spotted by his primary school head teacher who encouraged him to study art all the way through his school education from O to A Levels. He continued his artistic education by studying graphic and engineering drawing design at college, eventually studying textile design at Manchester Metropolitan University.

He became a design separation artist in the textile industry working for TFS, later to become ABC Batik, which required excruciating attention to artistic detail in the design and production of textile designs onto cloth. Unfortunately, ten years into this career, Andrew had to rethink his life and career as there were now other pressures affecting his life.

At the age of 28 Andrew was diagnosed with mental health issues which almost destroyed his career and life. Now fully under control, his mental health has made him realise that he had to reevaluate life and through the help of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), art and creativity and medication he is now able to turn the negative into positive.

To help manage his condition and lower his stress levels, Andrew decided that working part time jobs would help him to pursue his creative projects and become a professional artist. It was whilst working at call centres and other workplaces around central Manchester, Salford, and Wythenshawe that he became interested in social issues, especially homelessness which further shaped the artist he is today.

Said Andrew: ‘I’d have a particularly bad day at a call centre near The Arndale, and to relax I’d nip into the pub on my way home, and outside there would be homeless people. We’d chat and I’d buy them a sandwich or give them some money and it would make me realise that my day was nowhere near as bad as theirs. These encounters made me sit up and think, and want to help.’

Fast forward twenty years and more than 200 paintings later, mainly cityscapes, which have been sold as far away as Jamaica, his work is currently picking up pace as he offers much more than paintings. Andrew is also a storyteller and each of his paintings has an associated commentary through YouTube video uploads, and some are accompanied with bespoke poetry.

Andrew produces art and video stories of people, places and social issues in Greater Manchester, Salford and beyond. His style of painting is very unique; it is expressionistic with a free-flowing style using brush strokes, pallet knives and ink which allow the characteristics of each area of the City to emerge. Andrew’s art has been inspired by L.S Lowry characters, painted and drawn in his unique style using his croquis method to bring the characters to life. Andrew uses acrylics and ink painted on canvas and finds this medium relaxing, enjoyable and stress free.

Living in Salford for 18 years, he fell in love with the views across Salford Quays and around Manchester City Centre but he also appreciates the way landscape has changed over time and evolved, with it bringing social issues ‘from dockers to shoppers’. He donates a great deal of art to raise money for homeless charities across Greater Manchester and will continue to do so. His work is also on sale at the museum while his exhibition is live.

Says Andrew Alan Matthews: ‘I am delighted to be exhibiting at Salford Museum & Art Gallery as this is where my love of art began. I am a proud Mancunian artist with a deep love for Salford and I want to showcase my work and social commentary to as many people as possible. I have a positive message to spread which is promoting positivity through art, and turning negatives into positives. Art has helped me deal with my life-long mental health and I want to inspire others to enhance their lives positively through art. So, if you are in a dark place today, remember, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and help is out there’.

Amy Brunn, exhibition manager for Salford Museum & Art Gallery, said: 'Andrew's art is striking, bold and makes a massive impact in the gallery. His story telling and poetry is a real social commentary on Salford and Manchester and brings the paintings to life. The way that he uses the paint in layers, dragging it, produces architectural details and creates characters in his own unique style. This is why we wanted to represent Andy as our inaugural solo artist in our new community exhibition space, The Park Gallery.

His exhibition opens at a free event on Saturday September 2nd at 1pm at Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Peel Park, Salford, until 11th February 2024. There will be a silent auction throughout the exhibition to raise funds for Real Change Manchester, a charity which helps the homeless.

Andrew Alan Matthews’ exhibition is at Salford Museum & Art Gallery (The Crescent, M5 4WU) located within The Park Gallery, which is open weekends, and school holidays.