jason matherly

Over the last few years, Georgia’s Jason Matherly has found himself thinking of his colorfully shaped paintings as “brooches for walls.”

Artist: Born in Danville, VA, Matherly grew up in Gastonia, NC, near Charlotte. He graduated with a BA in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earned a master’s degree in library science and information from Valdosta State University.

Matherly holds down a day job at the University of Georgia, where he manages the Curriculum Materials Library, and works on his art on the side in Athens.

Studio: Matherly has worked in his home studio since 2014. The planning and painting take place in the studio. Cutting the shapes with a jigsaw is done outside in nice weather and at a time of day that will least likely bother the neighbors.

In the beginning: From 2010 to 2013, Matherly and some friends ran a sort of artists’ space in Athens.

“We didn’t know how to do anything, so we just made things up,” said Matherly, who has had no formal art training. “Painting, performance art, poetry, plays, choreography and weird food were all part of the same stew. It was chaotic.”

While everything turned out to be inept or a mess, Matherly learned important lessons about invention and making do – but not how to paint in any meaningful way.

When the space closed, Matherly decided to figure it out. He started with color. Then moved to shape. Color and shape have been enough to sustain his interest in painting.

“I sometimes think of that studio as my personal art school,” said Matherly. “Not because I learned specific things but because the community we created provided a lot of tools for figuring stuff out (or making stuff up) when I finally needed to.”

Art & materials: Shaped paintings with bright, flat acrylic colors ($500 to $5,000). The individual shaped elements, which have moved between geometric and amorphous, are made of muslin stretched over jigsawed NAF MDF, which are pieced together.

“Folks sometimes describe them as being like a jigsaw puzzle,” said Matherly.

Favorite tools: Scissors, which are extraordinarily sharp, were a gift from a friend living in Finland. There’s an image of Moominmamma picking linden berries printed on the handle.

Note: Moominmamma is the gentle mother figure of the Moominhouse. The Moomin book series was created for children by Tove Jansson, an artist and writer.

Inspirations:

Local Athens, GA, artists, including: Didi Dunphy, Kathryn Réfi, Jaime Bull, Ridley Howard, Holly Coulis, Carol John, Vivian Liddell, Benjamin Britton and Sara Hess.
Other artists, including: Anne Truitt, both her artwork and her writings, which are extremely significant for Matherly. So much so, that he and his wife named their son Truitt in her honor.
Ree Morton for the playfulness and humor of her work.
Margit Jäschke and her use of materials.
Self-taught artists, whether they’re “outsider artists” or children or anyone, really.

Fun or special commissions: Not long ago, a family friend asked for a piece to hang on her front porch.

“It wasn’t a complicated commission, but it gave me a reason to work with some materials I don’t normally use, as my regular pieces should not be hung outside,” said Matherly. “It was also a privilege to be invited to contribute something specific for a home’s adornment.”

Recent honors: Included in “Gathered VI: Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists” exhibit at MOCA GA in Atlanta. 2023.

Recent projects: Three solo shows in 2024.

Current project: Training our new puppy, Violet, to be a studio dog.

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