it open to interpretation. “I want to create work that if you hang it in your home, it’s reminding you of a special day, or your family or achieving a goal–––you relate to it in some way,” he said. “But if it’s a paint- ing of the Eiffel Tower or the Teton mountains and you’ve never been there, you won’t relate to it. I want to create more of the emotion of that place rather than have it be a replica of that place.” While Matt will often go to a spe- cific site for inspiration, he’s looking to capture the feeling of it perhaps through the light filtering through the trees, or the cast shadow of an object or the way the sun is setting behind a series of high-rise buildings. Leaving the locale somewhat ambig- uous allows nearly everyone to have their own experience with it. And this is what creates a sense of place in a space. “Art influences the feeling of a room and if you’re going to pay for it, you want it to create a sense of place that’s meaningful to you,” he said. “You want to have a piece that con- nects with you or brings you back to a special memory or feeling. True art collecting creates a microcosm and taps into an emotion.” Tapping into emotion is something Matt masterfully achieves through various techniques, but one of his favorites is contrast. “In the last couple of years, I’ve really started to change the way I paint to have marks that are soft against more bold, aggressive marks,” he said. “Through explorations of contrast, I can create paintings that are more en- ergetic and exciting while others are more subdued and not so busy.” Of course, what’s energetic versus
serene will vary from one individual to the next. But it’s that subtle ambiguity that connects people to Matt’s work and allows them to have their own emotional experience every time they look at it.
"Stairway to Heaven" 36" x 72" in oil
Matt Sievers explains his process to an art lover at the Celebration of Fine Art
Watch Matt's interview here.
shifted across various subject mat- ters from trees to desert landscapes, cityscapes to stormy mountains and even to the human figure. But even through the exploration of a diverse range of subjects, one thing that has never waivered is the undercurrent of emotion that he masterfully captures in each of his pieces. In fact, it seems to be emotion that compels Matt to paint. The emotion he’s experiencing will often dictate his subject matter, but more importantly, he strives to use emotion to convey meaning and create a sense of place in each of his paintings. “The mindset for every style I’ve gone through is still driven by emo- tion,” he said. “Each change I’ve made was about emotion. It gives a deeper meaning and connection to even things like a tree.” Because emotional connection to a place is unique to every individual based on their experiences, Matt opts not to depict specific places or land - marks in his pieces. Instead, he leaves
L ooking at his work and the passion that seems to emanate from him as he paints, you’d never guess artist Matt Sievers initially had his sights set on a career in business. It’s even more surprising after learning he grew up with a professional artist for a father. Still, being a goal-driven person, Matt was determined to find success in the business world. After earning his degree, he soon landed a sales position with General Electric, and it was off to the races. He learned quick- ly that hustle, long days and hard work would reward him with financial success. This drove Matt for a while, but over time, the cycle proved exhausting. He needed an outlet. So, he turned to the canvas. “I'd be completely exhausted by the time I’d get back home at night,” Matt said. “But, I'd start painting and all my energy would come back to me even though I was beyond exhausted.” Noticing the positive effect paint-
ing had on him, it wasn’t long before he realized his career in sales wasn’t sustainable over the long term. He decided to leave that gig behind and negotiated a deal with his dad to go in on a gallery together in Scottsdale, Ar- izona. Operating the gallery provided Matt the opportunity to leverage two of his skill sets: sales and art. It was through that experience that Matt gained the valuable feedback and confidence he needed to pursue art as a full-time career.
The next leap for Matt was applying to the Celebration of Fine Art. He was accepted and within that first year, he realized it was possible to find suc - cess as an artist––and have a deeply meaningful and rewarding career to boot. That was an important turning point in his journey. It was time to take another calculated leap. Matt decided to close the gallery and go all in as a professional artist, and he never turned back. Exploring emotion Over the decades, Matt’s work has
Above: Matt Sievers works on a large- scale landscape from his studio at the Celebration of Fine Art. Below: "Sunset on the Rockies" 30" x 60" in oil.
Taking a calculated leap of faith “As I was building that [the gal- lery], it made me realize people liked what I was doing and that the paintings I was creating were appreciated,” he said. “There was no looking back from there. I started to connect with people through art. I found my voice and my style through art. That was when I knew the rest of my life was going to be in the art world.”
“True art collecting creates a microcosm and taps into an emotion.”
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Issue 2 | Fall 2023
Issue 2 | Fall 2023
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