Statement

As Matthew’s work seems to resolve a number of conceptual and cultural tensions; it is very hard to describe in words. To say that it is elegiac, in its concern with themes of decay and decline – particularly the decline of the ceramics industry in Central England – would be to suggest a melancholy that, while not wholly at odds with spirit of the work, does little justice to its vigour and self evident delight in itself.  At times the work appears to be placed wholly within the traditions of the industry; while at other times it appears beyond it. The forms, while always bold, on occasion seem to be confident assertions of classical values; on other occasions they are radical in their departure from those conventions. Yet at the same time the surfaces of the pieces are subtle and complex, in the richness of their textures. All this said, what is always true of Matthews work is that it is elegant, functional and pleasurable.