About Andrew Alan Matthews

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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

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

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