Meet Matt Locke

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Locke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
No sane person pursues an artistic career, certainly not someone who wants a guarantee of money or success. Art is a calling. The ideas for my pieces appear in front of me. They float down. I see them in 3D and turn them around in my mind’s eye before I use tools to make them. I didn’t choose that. I guess what I did choose was to make art in spite of everything. I’m allergic to almost everything in my shop. I have weak lungs. My hands aren’t very steady. But I know the reason I’m on the planet is to make art, so I do. I made the latest collection against a backdrop of tremendous loss: jobs, my relationship, my Dad, and my studio. I finished the pieces, rebuilt my studio in a better location, exhibited the collection somewhere very grand (a private museum), sold three pieces, and started my most ambitious project ever. Making art is an epic adventure, not for the faint of heart. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am first and foremost an artist, but I’m also a drafter, interior designer, wannabe architect, carpenter, woodworker, project manager, and history major who loves research, historical context, precision, and deep meaning. All of that is present in my art, expressed in simple natural materials: wood, leather, and metal. I am a master of assemblage, taking elements I find or make to create detailed compositions, often maps of real places, or collages that capture powerful moods.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Los Angeles is home to world class art museums, all of which I love and visit regularly, but my favorite is the Norton Simon in Pasadena: stunning collections that span eras and continents, in a space you can digest in a single visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional  recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The painter Jennifer King, my co-exhibitor at the Knoll House private museum

Website: https://www.mattlocke.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistmattlocke/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-locke-64a7235/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistmattlocke