matthew lazure biography
Artist Statement
My artwork involves a deep exploration into the weaving of vintage found images into an intricate mosaic of mixed media materials. By reinventing nostalgic images through adornment and context, my intentions are to alter an image’s narrative, reveal innuendoes, and provoke emotional response. My miniature mosaics aspire to illustrate connectivity, intimacy, humor, healing, and other human conditions.
I am currently focused on images from vintage health, safety, and medical guides and encyclopedias from the 1930’s - 1950’s. I select images that I find evocative, or humorous, or that I am moved by, and then adorn them using broken shards of glass from holiday ornaments, pieces of colored eggshell, ink, and paint. The torn paper borders of the images are then treated with an oxidized iron paint which will continue to rust over time. The finished mosaics are placed into shadowboxes and treated as “modern artifacts”. These images are meant to be seen in ways that transcend their original design, removed from their intended context, and reinterpreted through a contemporary queer lens.
Biography
Matthew Lazure is multi-disciplined fine artist, craftsman, and scenic designer. A graduate from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Matthew established himself as an award-winning theater artist by designing, fabricating, and painting scenery and properties for over 20 years. He is a multiple recipient of the Boston Theatre Critics Association Elliot Norton Award for outstanding design.
Additionally, Matthew remains an active member of the Brickbottom Artist Association, one of the country’s first and largest artist-developed live-work buildings whose mission is dedicated to preserving and expanding the arts in the greater Boston area. His contributions include board membership, exhibition curator, gallery assistant, and annual open studios volunteer and participating artist.
Since relocating to Seattle in December of 2019, Matthew has spent most of his time in his home studio and developing new relationships with Seattle area galleries, theaters, and other arts organizations.
My artwork involves a deep exploration into the weaving of vintage found images into an intricate mosaic of mixed media materials. By reinventing nostalgic images through adornment and context, my intentions are to alter an image’s narrative, reveal innuendoes, and provoke emotional response. My miniature mosaics aspire to illustrate connectivity, intimacy, humor, healing, and other human conditions.
I am currently focused on images from vintage health, safety, and medical guides and encyclopedias from the 1930’s - 1950’s. I select images that I find evocative, or humorous, or that I am moved by, and then adorn them using broken shards of glass from holiday ornaments, pieces of colored eggshell, ink, and paint. The torn paper borders of the images are then treated with an oxidized iron paint which will continue to rust over time. The finished mosaics are placed into shadowboxes and treated as “modern artifacts”. These images are meant to be seen in ways that transcend their original design, removed from their intended context, and reinterpreted through a contemporary queer lens.
Biography
Matthew Lazure is multi-disciplined fine artist, craftsman, and scenic designer. A graduate from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Matthew established himself as an award-winning theater artist by designing, fabricating, and painting scenery and properties for over 20 years. He is a multiple recipient of the Boston Theatre Critics Association Elliot Norton Award for outstanding design.
Additionally, Matthew remains an active member of the Brickbottom Artist Association, one of the country’s first and largest artist-developed live-work buildings whose mission is dedicated to preserving and expanding the arts in the greater Boston area. His contributions include board membership, exhibition curator, gallery assistant, and annual open studios volunteer and participating artist.
Since relocating to Seattle in December of 2019, Matthew has spent most of his time in his home studio and developing new relationships with Seattle area galleries, theaters, and other arts organizations.