Deon is primarily an oil painter painting scenes from vanishing rural America;
old, unrestored trucks, garage sale detritus, dilapidated barns; recording the old sites and nostalgic bygone eras that are being overrun with urban sprawl, without romanticizing them.
"As a hearing-impaired painter, color is the most important aspect of my work. Though I tend to be a representational painter, I will often alter the colors within the scene to please myself, maybe trying to compensate for the grey, dreary environment in which I live. I always take advantage of the sunny scene and exploit it as much as possible. It lifts my mood to paint a scene that is bright and sunny. Painting has become my passion over the past few years and many days I find the whole day has passed while I was lost in my work. It is a most satisfying experience to lose oneself in one's work. Not many occupations have that advantage."
Deon Matzen
EDUCATION
* BA Fine Art, Seattle Pacific University
* Studied Chinese Painting for 1 year, Beijing, P.R. China
* Workshops with Betty Carr, Warn Taylor, Stan Miller, Eric Wiegardt, Nita Leland
WORKING EXPERIENCE
* 1982-1995 - Fiber artist designing and creating handspun, hand dyed garments for ready-to-wear market
* 1995 to present - Painter full time; part time teaching painting design and drawing at Skagit Valley College, Everett Community College, Coupeville Arts Center, South Whidbey Youth Services, South Whidbey Senior Services
* 2001-2002 - Instructor, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing
old, unrestored trucks, garage sale detritus, dilapidated barns; recording the old sites and nostalgic bygone eras that are being overrun with urban sprawl, without romanticizing them.
"As a hearing-impaired painter, color is the most important aspect of my work. Though I tend to be a representational painter, I will often alter the colors within the scene to please myself, maybe trying to compensate for the grey, dreary environment in which I live. I always take advantage of the sunny scene and exploit it as much as possible. It lifts my mood to paint a scene that is bright and sunny. Painting has become my passion over the past few years and many days I find the whole day has passed while I was lost in my work. It is a most satisfying experience to lose oneself in one's work. Not many occupations have that advantage."
Deon Matzen
EDUCATION
* BA Fine Art, Seattle Pacific University
* Studied Chinese Painting for 1 year, Beijing, P.R. China
* Workshops with Betty Carr, Warn Taylor, Stan Miller, Eric Wiegardt, Nita Leland
WORKING EXPERIENCE
* 1982-1995 - Fiber artist designing and creating handspun, hand dyed garments for ready-to-wear market
* 1995 to present - Painter full time; part time teaching painting design and drawing at Skagit Valley College, Everett Community College, Coupeville Arts Center, South Whidbey Youth Services, South Whidbey Senior Services
* 2001-2002 - Instructor, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing
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