Matthew Grant – Artist and Art Tutor

I am concerned with meaning in formal elements like surface, shape and texture …

I trained at Camberwell College of Arts, London (BA Hons, 1991) and Canterbury College of Art (M A, 1998), among my tutors were Ian McKeever, Seyed Adalatpour and Roland Piche whose work I admire and am influenced by.

Living and working in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, I am part of a group studio in the town centre. I teach art to adults, young people and children and I have led community art projects and residencies in local schools and art centres, which have received awards from `Artworks` and The National Gallery.

Materials and processes are central to my approach and I work in sculpture, painting and printmaking. I aim at something mysterious and unexpected, working in an improvised and intuitive way, exploring and reviewing ideas as the work progresses. Creating a fusion or tension between abstract and figurative elements is important to me and I am concerned with meaning in formal elements like surface, shape and texture.

Natural forms, architecture and other artworks are often the starting point for sculptures, paintings or prints and I use drawing and photography as a way of investigating initial ideas.