Another busy and talented Portland based artist is my guest today - Matte Stephens! Matte's artwork is creative, quirky fun with a retro touch. See his art & illustration portfolio on his website, and find out more about his life in Portland on his blog - featuring photos of his artwork, home, pets, and wife Vivienne. His Etsy shop with prints and originals is not to be missed, and you can find a large selection of his work at Velocity. During October, he is showing at Nahcotta with Jennifer Judd-McGee. For illustration work, Matte is represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. Go Matte!
from October 10th, 2008:
Why did you decide to start a blog?
I started it in August 2005. I wanted to try and have a place to archive my paintings a friend of mine suggested it to me instead of a website. It works very well to archive images:)
How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?
It gave me an outlet to show my work and life to people who would not normally see it. It worked better than I thought. I never really thought people would even look at it.
What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?
Grain Edit, Sfgirlbybay, Design Sponge, Reference Library and many many others. I like them because they do great work!
Why do you think blogs have now become so popular with artists and designers?
It's an easy way to get your artwork out to the world. People seem to enjoy reading about artists especially if you include things about your personal life. Like your pets, family, stuff like that:) Plus - who doesn't love to look at pet photos?
Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?
Stick to it. I should post more.
What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?
All the kind comments I have gotten. When our cat Isabelle died, people went out of their way to post a nice note. That was so nice and really appreciated.
Thanks Matte and much continued success for you!
