Local artist, Matthew Pinkus, is inspired by the desert that surrounds us. As a California transplant, the desert landscapes we take for granted are something of beauty to Pinkus, allowing him to take inspiration photos on his bike rides as he travels around the valley and turning the photos into beautiful paintings. It reminds even the most seasoned desert native that the plants, the browns, and even the dirt we take for granted (and maybe even complain about) is a work of natural beauty. A natural beauty that is seen as something special to those who haven’t been around it for years.
Matthew didn’t always want to be an artist. Coming from parents who are artists he fell into the stereotypical trope of wanting to step away from the path his parents walked. If you’re familiar with the Port Charles backdrops from the daytime soap, General Hospital, you might have been some of Matthew’s father’s work. While he always doodled on papers and things, he didn’t consider himself an artist and it wasn’t a title he was reaching out to snatch up anyway.
Instead, he picked up music. He was in two bands while living in L.A., spending a significant time with each band before the pandemic really closed down the music scene. In early 2021, thanks to a dating app with mixed geographical information, Matthew would start talking to a woman in Arizona. By the time they realized they weren’t in the same city, Matthew knew location didn’t matter. He was interested in her and started visiting Arizona before finally moving to the East Valley and marrying her.
Matthew holds a unique perspective about art, as in there are multiple facets and methods to creating it. Art isn’t just paintings according to Pinkus. Music is art, writing is even art. To Matthew it’s all a way of being a creative. In fact, during our conversation that’s how he referred to himself, not only as an artist, but as a creative. Creating is an urge, a desire, he has had his whole life and has pursued. “Everybody is born with something they have to do. I have to create.”
The pandemic allowed him the opportunity to start investigating art and start growing in his artistic skills. His wife, encouraging the investigation, got him an oil painting kit for Christmas. Matthew calls it kismet, the way that everything came together for him to start painting. When he first moved to Arizona, he was still playing and working with recording with his bandmates through internet applications that allowed collaboration. Once he had the oil painting kit and started painting, he knew right away he wanted to focus on painting.
“There’s a mystery about art,” says Matthew, “it’s different for everybody. It’s a place I can be alone with my thoughts.” Which is something he hopes viewers and owners of his art feel themselves when they look at and purchase his paintings. He hopes we can look at the paintings, and even if it’s only for a moment, we can be a little more introspective. It can feel like a “time-out” in a way (a good kind of time-out, where you can take a breath).
Coming from artist parents, one might think that Matthew naturally fell into his oil paintings and beautiful art walked out. He’s no prodigy though, he learned through YouTube videos and books. When asked about the expert teachers he had a direct relation to, he admitted that his father is a brilliant artist, but not the best teacher. His parents are rooting for him, and his mom loves every single painting.
Matthew’s inspiration comes directly from Mesa and the natural beauty that surrounds our amazing city. Matthew’s love of photo composition helps him nab slivers of time, like a time capsule, taking photos of things he likes and then translating it to painting. The result is beautiful art that we all have an opportunity to enjoy.
The title “artist” is one that Matthew is picking up and holding onto now that he has found his love for it. For Matthew, one of the best things about being an artist is the freedom of expression he enjoys. He recognizes the need inside to create, and he is happy to have found another way to fulfil that. “I can think of something in my head, and I can bring it out physically.”
You can find Matthew on Instagram: @mpinkusart or his website: matthewpinkus.com. He can be reached via email at matthewpinkus@gmail.com