Matthew Napoli has work on view in Burning, Growing, a two-person Exhibition Proposal Series show, through December 8, 2024.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up skateboarding in Texas and enjoyed learning about natural history until I dropped out of high school. At age 20, I started filling sketchbooks and later went on to earn some art degrees from UMass Dartmouth and MICA. Now I live in Providence and teach at BCC in Fall River.
What kind of art do you make?
I primarily make oil paintings, but I also do a fair amount of dry media drawing, water based paints, and collage. Sometimes I grow plants.
What concepts does your art explore?
I’m curious about how our species and society might better care for our land, each other, and ourselves. Recently, this has taken a primarily environmental and sometimes spiritual focus, drawing from interfaith and scientific perspectives on nature. I think we have a moral call to be always growing in our capacity to support our neighbors, human and nonhuman alike- and it has a lot to do with the way we care for ourselves.
Where do you make your work?
I have a studio space in downtown Providence. If you see me hanging out on the fire escape, climb up and say hi.
What are your favorite materials to use?
I mostly use store bought oil paints, but recently I’ve made a couple of tubes of my own- I hiked out to specific sites and collected rocks there which I hand-processed into pigment. Some was even sourced from a fossil-bearing geologic formation, which is exciting to a grown-up dinosaur kid like me.
What historical and contemporary artists inspire you?
Degas, Klimt, Lautrec, Michaël Borremans, Antonio Lopez Garcia, and Odd Nerdrum have all been huge for me. I also can’t overstate the positive influence my former colleagues and peers continue to have on me- Julia Gould, Chloe Mosbacher, Enrique Nevárez, Spencer Beals, Elijah Ruhala, and Piper Bangs are all genuinely inspirational.
When did you decide you wanted to be an artist?
I did not take art seriously until I saw Moebius’ drawings.
40 Days Dans le Désert B opened my eyes. From there, my start as an artist was fairly immediate. I was fully committed– it was only a few months until I landed in physical therapy from too many long hours at my desk clutching my drawing tools.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
You can see more of my work on my website! https://www.matthewjnapoli.com/