Mati McDonough

Mati McDonough, a San Francisco based artist, has been making her way into the art scene for the past couple of years, using some interesting sources of inspiration along the way. The colorful paintings featured in this post, with the exception of "Believe," were originally inspired by symmetrical paintings found in a antique book about early American folk art and another book based on 60’s textile design. {e} spoke with the busy painter and got her take on music, San Francisco, and her own, unique path to becoming an artist.

Q: What challenges do you think you face most as an artist?

A: Time. There isn’t enough!

Q: How would you describe the art scene in San Francisco? What have you found to be unique about the art, galleries and artists there?

A: I’m not sure how it compares to other cities because I’ve lived here the last ten years since coming into art, but it is a very open and creative place. Unfortunately the rents are extremely high, so a lot of artists struggle to survive here and end up working 40 hour a week jobs and not having as much time to create. The galleries here seem to be a real mix between high-end ones downtown and really small boutique type ones, with not tons in between, at least in my experience.

Q: What are 10 things that interest or influence you? (you can list books, records, artists, etc.)

A: travel
Hugh D’Andrade, my artist husband
The paint colors and wonky hand painted signs in my neighborhood—the Mission
Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico
Gee’s Bend quilts
Coastal Maine where I grew up
Jonathan Richman, Lucinda Williams, Bon Iver and CocoRosie inspire me lately while I paint
My mom and her craftiness
Biographies of other artists and innovators
Vintage 60’s silk scarves
William Kentridge, Maira Kalman, Sarajo Frieden, Kiki Smith, Margaret Killgallen to name a few artists that inspire me to no end

Q: What is your earliest memory of making art?

A: In my room drawing moths when I was 6. I was also smitten with a great coloring book called the “Anti-Coloring” book. I want to make one for adults

Q: What themes do you tend to explore in your work?

A: The themes that I like to explore between the figures in my painting focus on loss, longing and love from the perspective of a sophisticated child. I think regardless of my subject matter there is an emotional quality to my painting process that I try to engage with personally and hope that it translates to the viewer.

Q: Where do you go to be inspired?

A: Dollar stores, the ocean, book stores, china town and my studio.

Q: It’s always interesting to find out where an artist creates their work. Can you describe where you make your paintings?

A: I make art in my art studio which is a converted garage behind my apartment that my husband and I share with 4 other artists. I feel lucky that there is a little distance, but I can still run back and fourth to my kitchen for tea.

Q: How did you come to the decision you wanted to be an artist?

A: Becoming an artist has been like climbing a mountain, but instead of going straight to the top, I’ve been going gradually around the mountain, getting distracted along the way by scraping my knees, setting up camp along the way and other fumbling and sustained moments of grace. I am 33 and went to art school when I was 29. I have worked so many different jobs, but finally am being brave enough to go for it and make art for my living.

Q: What elements are really important to you in terms of your practice?

A: Good question… setting up a schedule and trying to stick to it and evaluate it on a weekly basis, even though it inevitably mutates. I also think that artist dates are essential—giving myself permission to take an afternoon to pull inspiration from magazines and decorate my studio wall with them, or to take a day off to go to the museum, or to take photos in a new part of the city all fuel my creative process immeasurably.

Q: How do you choose the verbiage that you include in your paintings? What significance do these words have to the piece?

A: The verbiage comes from eaves dropping, songs and stories that evolve from my sketches that are usually based on memory. Like other aspects of my paintings, including color choice, I think texts adds another element to the overall composition and narrative of the painting.

Q: Have you worked in different mediums? If so, how do these choices correlate?

A: I have done print-making in the form of silk-screening and love to repeat patterns and this has led me to explore the potential of surface and textile design.