Choose954 Podcast Episode #86 With Matt Forehand

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JS0E8TGSyY&list=PLOQvdw7d0cd9RZZkd2lZy2hmrnJv-cfLI&index=13

Evan Stone: And welcome back to another episode of the Shooters954 Podcast, Episode 86, with our resident artist, Matt Forehand, sitting here in the Hollywood Art and Culture Center in front of his current exhibition, which we'll tell you a little bit more about in a little bit. If you didn't know about Shooters954, myself, Evan Stone, and my business partner, Mr. Andrew Martino, started an initiative to cultivate culture and community in Broward County, to keep people informed about the great things that are going on in an effort to make this a better place to live and not just a better place to vacation. We're arts advocates, community builders, and creative entrepreneurs. So the point of the podcast is to connect you, the viewer, with amazing people like this young man who are doing important things in the community. This is a great show, and he's got a wealth of knowledge that we're very excited to share. So without much further ado, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself at a high level?

Matt Forehand: So the name's Matt Forehand. I'm a painter and printmaker. I graduated from the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, focusing on painting and printmaking. I'm currently based here in Miami. I'm not originally from Miami, but I do have connections here, and this is where I'm based and pursuing my art practice. I'm considering potentially moving to Broward eventually. We'll see if we can swing that position a little bit.

Evan Stone: So how did you initially get started in the arts? What did that journey look like?

Matt Forehand: Just like any kid, you know, you kind of have that thing you gravitated towards, and mine was always doodling. This is probably a very cliche answer, but I doodled a lot. As I got into high school, I was doing a lot of graffiti, not necessarily on walls, but I had sketchbooks. Friends would tell me to draw on their shoes or hats, something like that. I was into skateboarding, so that opened up avenues for doing stencils on boards, translating that to surfboards as well, painting my friend's boards, and my own. That’s where the art really started for me, where my aptitude for art began. I've always had a good visual literacy, and it kind of came naturally to me, but I never thought I was going to make a career out of it. A lot of artists say that too—it wasn’t like I was going to pursue a career in the arts. It was something that just very organically came out of people who mentored me.

Evan Stone: And then how did that lead to the Art Institute?

Matt Forehand: So I served in the military service—thank you, I’m a veteran of the Marine Corps. Once a Marine, always a Marine. So I’m still a Marine, but I went to the Marines as a young kid, just graduated high school. I struggled to graduate high school, in fact, I graduated a year late because I dropped out and then realized that not having a high school degree isn’t really helpful. So I went back, went to my school, eventually graduated, and I thought, "Okay, now I’m going to go to college." I went to a community college in Pensacola, Florida. That’s home for me, Pensacola, Florida, in the Panhandle. I did night school, graduated, got my diploma, went to college, and then realized that college wasn’t in the books for me at the moment. I didn’t really know what to do. I come from a military family—they're all Air Force—my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, uncles, so I chose a different path and joined the Marine Corps. I thought I’d see if I could make a career out of this or, if anything, pay for college, right? Because coming from an enlisted family, they didn’t have money for school necessarily. We didn’t have college funds or anything like that, so I had to figure out a way to pay if I wanted to go.

I did my four years. Year one, I didn’t want to make a career out of the Marine Corps. I loved the Marine Corps; it was a good time in my life, but it wasn’t fulfilling for me. I liked education, though, because in the Marine Corps, I got to teach a lot, so I knew education was something I wanted to pursue. I got out and went to Pensacola State College, enrolled there, started taking education classes for a degree to become an educator. I was thinking maybe art history or something like that. I took an art history class, a painting class, and a drawing class. In my drawing class, the professor noticed something in my work and suggested I take her painting class. Her name’s Paula Work, she’s still a professor at Pensacola State College, and she's an amazing painter. She kind of mentored me during that period, guiding me. She went to SAIC, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, so I thought, "Well, I like Chicago, that would probably be a cool place to live." I had never been there, but in my mind, I was thinking of all the movies from the late '80s, early '90s—Chicago seemed to be everywhere, so it seemed like a cool place. The Bulls were there, I liked sports, so I applied to SAIC, got accepted, and was ecstatic. I had other applications into other schools—KCAI in Kansas, some schools in Florida, and Pratt in New York—but as soon as I heard back from SAIC, I knew that was where I wanted to go.

Once I took that financial leap of faith, because art school is not cheap, I knew that I was going to have an art career in some capacity, whether in education or being an artist myself.

Evan Stone: Moving to another city is a leap of faith and not without its expenses, especially Chicago.

Matt Forehand: Exactly. I mean, cities are pretty expensive. I supported myself through art school by dog walking. The military paid for some of it with the GI Bill, which was nice, but it only lasted so long because art school is pretty expensive. I even had to take out a loan for my last couple of semesters, which wasn’t cheap.

Evan Stone: It’s a prestigious school, one of the most prestigious art schools. What was that experience like, and how did that help you transition from aspiring artist to full-time artist?

Matt Forehand: Going into the school, I think most young artists have this image in their head that art school is going to be the top of the top—like, the artists here are going to blow you away. You think you’re good now, but when you get there, you’ll be at the bottom of the rung. I had high expectations, but it’s not really like that. There are all different levels at art school, and I quickly found out that I needed to tie myself into circles with artists who had a similar thought process towards their practice as I did. I was a lot more serious about my work than most. I was also older, too. I was in classes with 17, 18, 19-year-olds fresh out of high school, and I was 23 or 24. So I had a little more maturity when it came to my work, but I was also not very conceptual. My work was more focused on learning how to be a painter, and I found printmaking through that. I tied myself into inner circles with artists who thought like me, and I was fortunate to have roommates along the same path.

I had a roommate who was very focused on making his art into a business, whereas I was more focused on becoming an artist, a painter, or a printmaker. One of my best friends, who I ended up moving out with to the city of Chicago, was an amazing painter named Ryan Weske. We moved out of the dorms because it was too expensive and settled in Pilsen, a southern part of the city. We were young kids, never lived in Chicago before, and were living in a big house with a bunch of artists. It was a great environment for growth and learning.

Evan Stone: Was there a competitiveness that drove you during that time, or was it more collaborative?

Matt Forehand: It was a bit of both. There was definitely a competitiveness, but in a positive way. We drove each other to do better in our work and not get complacent. That competitiveness was present both in the program and in our personal circles. It’s not a bad thing—it was motivating. Even now, my friend and I try to FaceTime once or twice a month, and he’ll ask if I’m finishing things, because I have a tendency to not finish my work. I’m a bit ADHD with my work, so I’ll start something and then move on. Even in this gallery, there are parts that are unfinished, which most viewers might not notice, but I know they’re there.

Evan Stone: You’ve obviously had a good experience at the Art Institute, learned a lot, and taken a bunch of things away. There was one thing you mentioned earlier about something you took away from your orientation.

Matt Forehand: I met my wife at orientation. It’s funny because when I got to Chicago, I was actually dating someone else at the time. My friend group, when you get to these places, it’s like, "Okay, who am I going to hang out with?" The first people I hung out with were Carlos, whom I just mentioned, and then I met my wife, Catalina. We formed a little group with Latin students, most of whom were from Miami. My wife is from Colombia, Carlos is from Cuba, and we had artists from Puerto Rico. We’d go out on weekends like typical college kids. Eventually, my previous relationship ended, and things with Catalina developed very organically. Everything happens for a reason.

Evan Stone: Organic is good. Any other takeaways from your Chicago experience that helped set you on your path?

Matt Forehand: The interaction with professional artists was significant. The professors at SAIC usually had their own practices and were established artists. They had gone through the same things I was getting ready to go through. Not everyone who goes to art school ends up doing art, so the ones who pursued it successfully were now giving back by teaching. Teaching is a very important part of an artist’s practice. It’s good to talk about your ideas and incorporate basic concepts into your work. The interactions with professional artists like Corinne Newkirk, Dan Gustin, and Susanna Coffey left a lasting impact on me. Even if it was just a sentence they said, it stuck with me, and I think about it when I’m painting or doing a print. Corinne once said, "Don’t give away all your secrets," and that little nugget of wisdom has stayed with me. When I’m doing studio visits or interviews like this, I sometimes think about those things and realize the importance of keeping some secrets as an artist to leave people wanting to figure out how you did something or why you did it.

Evan Stone: I’ve heard a counter to that quote: "You can tell them the why but not the how."

Matt Forehand: That’s a good one. I’ll keep that in mind.

Evan Stone: Chicago is one of my favorite cities. It has so much culture. We were talking about not just the Art Institute but also the Culture Center and its amazing mural by Keith Haring. I love house music, and Chicago has such a rich history with artists like Frankie Knuckles. It’s great that you got to experience that culture and learn from it. It must have raised the bar for you being among peers, professors, and intellectuals.

Matt Forehand: Definitely. Being among these thought leaders and people I admired and respected helped set my path. Even in Chicago, you never knew who you might run into. It was a place that pushed me to be better. After Chicago, I stayed for a year after graduation because Catalina was still finishing up school. I was walking dogs and trying to work, but the financial part of it sometimes took over my life. I was waiting for her to graduate, looking for opportunities, and then during that period, I proposed to her, and we got engaged. We were deciding where to move next, and LA was at the top of our list because it had a great art scene and was a big city. My best friend from Pensacola lived there with his wife, so it seemed like a good choice.

But then we started talking about staying in Chicago, but the weather was tough, especially for someone from Florida or Bogotá like Catalina. So we ruled that out. Then we considered Miami, where my mother's family had immigrated from Colombia. Most of them lived in South Florida, so Miami seemed like a good spot. It’s a big city with a decent art scene, and we knew about Art Basel. It’s also close to Colombia, just a three-hour flight away. So we decided to move to Miami.

Evan Stone: What year was this?

Matt Forehand: This was in 2018. Catalina applied for a bunch of jobs, one of which was for an English teacher. She didn’t realize it required an English degree, not just teaching English as a language. During the interview, they realized the misunderstanding but then asked if she could teach art classes. She said no, but mentioned that her fiancé had just graduated with a BFA. So I interviewed on the day I was leaving Chicago and got the job at a charter school in Miami, Mater Academy. It was a whirlwind. I had planned to come to Miami, spend a month looking for jobs, and then see what happened, but I got the job immediately. School started in a week, so I hit the ground running, teaching sixth-grade elements of art, eighth-grade two-dimensional studio, a drawing class for ninth graders, and printmaking for juniors and seniors.

Evan Stone: That sounds like a lot.

Matt Forehand: It was. I never worked that hard in my life. I was commuting from Kendall to Wynwood without a car, taking the bus and train, waking up at 4 a.m. to get there by 7. It was exhausting, but I made it work. Catalina eventually found a job at a gallery, Anonimo, which is still open in Little River. We became close friends with the owners, who even came to our wedding. I taught for four years and recently stepped away to pursue my practice full-time.

Evan Stone: That’s amazing. I appreciate your transparency. It’s not easy for anyone, especially financially. Some people are fortunate to have resources, but for most, the financial reality is a big factor. That’s why supporting the arts and patronizing artists is so important. It allows artists to continue pursuing their craft. Unfortunately, many talented artists who went to art school weren’t able to pursue it because of financial constraints.

Matt Forehand: Absolutely. That was a conversation we had in art school. The professors were blunt about it—most of us would graduate and try to make it as artists, but the financial part would interfere, and we’d end up working other jobs. That happened to me, teaching and trying to have a practice. It was really hard, especially teaching a full class load, waking up early, commuting, and trying to make lesson plans. I didn’t have much time for my practice. Sometimes I’d work on my art while the students were working on theirs, hoping the admin wouldn’t catch me. But that actually helped the students—they’d see me working and get inspired to figure out how to do their own work.

Evan Stone: It sounds like you knew teaching wasn’t your long-term goal. You wanted to pursue art full-time, but there were financial and time obstacles.

Matt Forehand: Exactly. I always knew I wanted to pursue art full-time. One thing I’d tell young artists is to always look for opportunities, even if they don’t seem like they’ll lead to anything. While teaching, I was offered the opportunity to teach Saturday classes at Oolite Arts. Saturdays were precious to me because they were my days off, but I took the opportunity. My wife had moved from Anonimo to Oolite, so she knew they were looking for instructors, and I put my name out there. Through that, I found someone who helped me get a studio space on Lincoln Road at Lincoln Center, called Peekaboo Studios. It was super cheap compared to everything else, so I got a studio space and started investing my time and money into it. That’s when I knew I wasn’t doing this as a hobby—I wanted to pursue art seriously.

Through my connections at Oolite, I eventually did a commission for them for the board members. Showing my abilities and talents, and taking the opportunities that came my way, really helped me move into the position of printmaking resident.

Evan Stone: For those who are not familiar with Oolite Arts, could you tell them a bit about it?

Matt Forehand: Oolite Arts is a nonprofit arts organization that primarily gives grant money and studio spaces to Miami-Dade artists. They do a lot for the community, including film as well. They used to be called the South Florida Art Center, and they changed their name to Oolite Arts when Dennis Scholl took over. They sold off a big portion of their property on Lincoln Road, and now they have a big endowment that they use to give back to Miami artists, who for a long time have been overlooked. Most Miami artists had to leave Miami to go to New York, LA, or even Chicago, to make it. Oolite wants to make Miami more of a footprint in the art world, especially since, until recently, Miami galleries weren’t even represented at Art Basel.

Evan Stone: It sounds like Oolite is doing a great job, and you’re in a unique position as the printmaking resident. Could you explain what that entails?

Matt Forehand: My residency is a bit different from the typical residency. In addition to getting a free studio space, access to classes, and the print shop, I also teach printmaking classes and open the community print shop. If someone has authorization, either by taking a class or going through an orientation with me, they can come and use the space during open studio hours. I encourage new printmakers or anyone interested to come in and talk to me. We do screen printing, block printing, etching (only on plexiglass, as we don’t have acid baths), and lithography. I also use the open studio hours to explore new printmaking methods, and as soon as I learn something, I try to introduce it as a class or help others with their projects.

Evan Stone: For those unfamiliar with printmaking, could you explain what it is?

Matt Forehand: Printmaking is a broad term that encompasses various methods of making multiples of one image. It includes lithography, block printing, etching, screen printing, cyanotypes, and more. Photography could even be considered a form of printmaking. We have a big printer at Oolite for photographers who want to print their photos. Printmaking is essentially creating multiple copies of an image, and there are many different processes involved. It’s very process-heavy, like baking versus cooking. Baking requires precise measurements and processes, similar to printmaking.

Evan Stone: How has printmaking evolved your practice?

Matt Forehand: Printmaking has slowed me down and made me think more about the visual problems in my work. Painting is very reactive, but printmaking involves a lot of processes, which forces me to think more critically. In this show, for example, I have screen prints that correlate with the paintings. These prints came about through a conversation with Mark Forehand, who suggested I display the reference photos I use for my paintings. At first, I didn’t think about it, but then I realized I could turn them into fine art prints. I used the CMYK process, which is how they used to make posters back in the day. This process allowed me to process these images in a different way and explore why they are significant to me.

Evan Stone: I like that analogy of baking versus cooking. It really frames the difference. Could you give us an overview of this exhibit and specifically this painting, including the process behind it?

Matt Forehand: This exhibit is an exploration of my Colombian heritage. My mom is from Colombia, and she came to the U.S. when she was a little girl. I never lived in Miami or Colombia, and I didn’t visit until I was in my 30s. So I had a connection to this culture, but it was limited. I wanted to explore my Latin identity, especially since I grew up in Pensacola, Florida, which is very different from Miami. I’ve always felt connected to my Colombian roots, but I didn’t fully understand them. This exhibit is about reconnecting with that heritage through my art. The paintings are based on memories, some from my childhood and some from recent trips to Colombia.

This particular painting, for example, is from a visit to Tayrona, near Santa Marta. I didn’t have a photo of the exact moment, so I created it from memory, using photos from Fairchild Botanical Gardens and other sources. The painting is a collage of these different elements, creating a composition that represents how I remember that moment.

Evan Stone: This piece with the alligator is particularly striking. Can you tell us more about it?

Matt Forehand: This painting is based on a significant day when we were crossing a path that went over a body of water with crocodiles. In the original photo, you can see people gasping and looking over, and I found that moment interesting. I’ve painted this scene three times, and this version is the most successful. I exaggerated certain elements, like the crocodile, to tell the story more effectively. The crocodile represents the danger that goes along with the beauty of Colombia. It’s a beautiful place, but there’s always that looming danger, which is an idea I wanted to explore in this painting.

Evan Stone: I’m glad you shared that, and it’s amazing to see this body of work. For those interested in purchasing or commissioning work, what’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Matt Forehand: The best way to reach me is through email, which you can find on my website, matt4hand.com, or through Instagram, @matt.4hand. I’m open to commissions and other projects. If you’re interested in my work, I can send you a price list or we can discuss other options.

Evan Stone: What if someone wants to commission you to make a print?

Matt Forehand: That’s a bit different because prints involve multiples and an original plate. It’s something I’d explore, but it depends on the scope of the project. There would be different costs involved, depending on whether it’s an original print or just getting something printed.

Evan Stone: Are classes available at Oolite?

Matt Forehand: Yes, classes are available at Oolite. I primarily teach printmaking classes, but I’m also working on developing a landscape painting class. If you’re interested, keep an eye on the Oolite website for registration.

Evan Stone: Anything else coming up that people should look out for?

Matt Forehand: This exhibition is open until May 14th, so come check it out. We also have an upcoming group show for the Oolite resident artists on April 19th, from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to see some amazing talent.

Evan Stone: We really appreciate it, Matt. So much talent, so much beautiful work. We’ll give you a little taste of the ongoing exhibition here at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center, right here in downtown Hollywood on the Circle. It’s a really great show, curated by Megan Kent in collaboration with Oolite Arts. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Matt or us at Shooters954. We’re an open book, and maybe we’ll get Matt to choose 954 one day in the future. Thanks for doing this, Matt. We appreciate it.

Matt Forehand: Cheers.