Matt Lock

How did you get into making art?
I can't ever really recall "getting into making art" to be honest. Growing up at some point I just drew and my parents kind of encouraged it so I drew more. After awhile I kind of got into it and slowly over time realized that I might actually be an artist.

Were Your parents artists or just supported you in what you did?
My Parents have artistic abilities but no will to use them. My dad used to be in a few bands along time ago. My mom drew throughout high school when she wasn't getting stoned.

Your work throws back to a lot of 80s metal/sci-fi. What is it about that type of thing that draws you to it?
Escapism. I am dissatisfied with the state of the current human being and our planet so I seek to mentally escape it each day. Heavy metal music of old and science fiction books happen to be my "route" to a more pleasant state of mind.

Do you have any collections?

A growing record collection. I would like to start a book collection. Just consisting of books I like enough to re-read in the future. I can't get over the ordering from the library though..free books of course.

What does your average day consist of?
Well..I get up,take a shower,make coffee, then have breakfast while I "surf" the internet. I like to devote a good 2 hours or more to working on art. I put some music on and work on art,exercise then go to work for the night. It takes an hour to get to work so I am often thinking a lot while I drive. That is an average day.

Where do you work?

At a data entry/office job. I am a temp but have been there for 3 months and 3 weeks.

Whats your process like?
Hmm it's strange actually. I can be taking a shower or driving,getting ready for bed and a good idea will pop into my mind. I can kind of see a blurry rendition of what it could look like on paper. I might scribble it down on paper. I have many sheets/small pieces of paper with keywords for drawing/painting ideas on them. Of course most of the keywords I will look at days later and think "What the fuck does this mean?" Sometimes of course I start a painting or drawing and it develops into something else on it's own. I allow a fair amount of time for this to happen now,in the past I used to rush my art somewhat.
Who is making art right now that gets you excited? What bands are you listening to?
I really like Mark Delong's art. Him and I just had a righteous exchange of artwork. I also like Justin B. Williams,Misaki Kawai,William Buzzell,Mehdi Hercberg,Frederic Fleury,Dean Stanton,Daniel Jensen and Kalle Runeson.

I listen to about 5 albums a day or more. I listen to far too many bands to list here. MOST recently I can say I have been listening to bands such as Saint Vitus, Gorement, Sarcofagus, Amon Duul II, Manilla Road, Candlemass and a LOT of Steeleye Span.

Is there any mediums you'd like to start experimenting with? Maybe tying in with the stuff you do now?
Yes. I would like to do some prints. I am really dying to do some prints actually. I would like to do a sculpture in the next year. I finally started working on larger sized paper. This took about 2 years because the larger size really intimidated me.

How did you get hooked up with Nieves? They are putting out so much fantastic stuff.
Ben just emailed me and asked me if I was interested. Of course I said yes. Yeah every time I get a newsletter update from them about a new product it's a really killer looking zine or book. They are amassing quite the catalog! I am very proud to have worked with them.

Whats it like living where you do, kind of removed from a lot of the stuff you're involved with.
It's pretty odd sometimes. I went to this opening for a show I was in that took place at Stairwell Gallery in Providence. It was the FIRST time I have ever been to an opening with my work in it. I sometimes think it would be nice to have more contact with the fraction of the art world that I am involved with. On the other hand it's nice being oblivious to any gossip or drama involved with particular galleries or individuals. Being removed from it means missing out certain things but my stuff has developed so well in this state of mind and sort of secluded environment. It's well worth it.

But do you ever feel like you're missing out on certain things?

Of course I do but I have mostly gotten over it by now. I used to get kind of upset because I was in a rush to get my stuff out there,meet other artists and etc. Nowadays I make due by my lonesome and use the internet to do that stuff. If I were content to live in a city I would probably go to art shows more often.

Is there somewhere in the world you'd like to travel to?
Yes there are a dozen or so places. Picking one place I would say Iceland. It's full of amazing history,the terrain is otherworldly,the climate is to my liking and it's very clean and full of mystery.

Do you have a dream project? What are your plans for the future?
A dream project..this is a hard one. I have been wanting to construct a guitar,bass guitar,drum set and microphone stand/mic completely out of logs,sticks,rope,wood glue,paint and leaves. I have had this idea for about 4 months. I think it's becoming a dream project. If it wasn't going to be such a massive undertaking I might do it. I would want to add some full size scarecrow type figures though. Of course I would design them to look like life size versions of my drawings..or try to.

In the next two years I hope to move to a nicer, smaller, more rural area with my friend and his girlfriend. I hope to be fairly good at guitar by then,have longer hair,have learned at least one language, have a well done Cthulhu tattoo and still be making a shitload of drawings/paintings. Oh yeah..at some point I am going to college finally. Just for Information Technology courses.

Any final words?

Thanks for the great interview and interest in my work..remember to eat good,work less and read more.

You can see more of Matt's work at his website.