Contacting Practitioners: Mati Rose McDonough

Here are the questions and answers from my mini interview with artist Mati Rose McDonough.

 

Q- I found that a lot of your work features a nature/animal theme with a magical/mystical feel mixed in. Who or what inspires you to work in this style?

 

I'm glad you see that in my art! I am inspired by early American folk art. In particular I found this amazing book years ago of paper cutting and wood carving of mirrored animals that inspired many pieces of mine. I also love learning about the symbolism of animals. For example elephants represent luck in many cultures and peacocks represent integrity and immortality in some interpretations. Above all, I think I paint animals because I enjoy creating their personalities and anthropomorphising them! 

Q- Many of your paintings and mixed media pieces feature multi-layered elements. Do you plan out each work completely beforehand or figure out the placing while you're making them? And if so how do you know when each piece is finished?

 

I do not plan out my mixed-media layered paintings. I have so much fun with the mixed-media pieces precisely because I approach them intuitively and don't know where they are going to end up. I start with a particular color palette and sometimes an idea of imagery, but in general what I start out with completely changes throughout the course of the painting and is usually completely unexpected.

This is such a good question of "how do you know when a piece is finished" and really the key to creating paintings. I know when my work is done when I survey the entire piece and there is not a part calling out to me to be worked on more. It has harmony and all flows together nicely and is cohesive. I often think a painting is done, but have to sit with it for a while to really tell if anything jumps out over time. This is helpful/ hard with illustration jobs as there are usually tight deadlines and not enough breathing space as you probably know with school!

Q- How long, on average, will it take you to complete a piece of work? (Both layered paintings and mixed media pieces)

 

Oh gosh, sometimes it can take an afternoon and other times a year! It depends on scale too, but on average I would say a week for a 18x24 inch painting. I work on several paintings at the same time so I can switch between them and allow them to dry and get perspective when I work on other paintings. The paintings I work on for a year are usually the most layered and transformed and usually the process is as cathartic and tranformative for me. I had a series of "dark" paintings last year where I embraced painting with black after years of using bright colors and while it took about a year of painting the layers, the final 30 or so paintings were finished in about a period of a week. 

Q- How did you go about getting your first illustration jobs after graduation? Did you find at the beginning you had to adapt your artistic style in order to attract certain clients? 

 

Let's see... I sent my work via postcards and emails to clients I wanted to work with. In particular companies that I liked that licensed work like greeting cards, magnets and wall art. I wrote to them directly via email and included images of my work and had great success because I did a lot of research into what other artists they used whose work was in a similar vein. How else? I started a monthly newsletter, blogged regularily and put myself out there with craft shows and opportunities in the public eye. In particular after one Craft show, Patagonia (an outdoor apparel company) contacted me after they saw t-shirts I was selling with my art on them to do a line of tees for them. 

Q- What general advice could you give for a new graduate starting out?

 

Say yes to opportunities that excite you! And create your own opportunities. Craft fairs, art shows, teaching often lead to illustration jobs or selling art. I think developing an artistic community is hugely important for support. I have been part of several art studios where I have wonderful friendships with fellow artists who inspire me, uplift me when times are tough, critique me and keep me in the loop about the latest art happenings.