Matt Martin, aka Freshmattic, is a printmaker, illustrator, and “general nuisance” based in North Wales, UK. He cuts lino, screenprints, monoprints, paints, draws, and seemingly makes a mess in any format on a whim. His work is influenced by 1960s counter culture, 1970s tough guys, 1980s comics, and 1990s hiphop. If someone’s throwing it away, he’ll probably try and print on it!
A writer and journalist originally, a lot of Matt’s work plays around with words and typefaces. He studied photography for three years before focusing on journalism and print media at art college for another three years. However, at the same time someone invented the internet and everything turned on its head. Matt left college in 1997, started a magazine, it folded, and he moved into video game journalism for twenty years, travelling around the world. He then picked up printing in 2020 and rediscovered his artistic side just as Covid shut everything down.
Matt works mainly in linocut and monoprinting, creating at home with a book press. He doesn’t do anything digitally; “That’s not a grand statement or anything – but I just don’t want to be near screens after spending twenty years working with technology. This is my escape from that.” He keeps it low-fi by using paper and pencils, simple transfers, collage, scissors, lots of tape, and big black pens. “I really value the slow process and gradual build of printing – to see it come together with each iteration,” says the printmaker. Matt enjoys taking tiny sketches which he blows up to capture all the blemishes. When he works with screenprinting he uses the Regional Print Center in Wrexham which has awesome facilities, open access, and a friendly community or printers. He comments; “Sometimes you have to go big with a design – so big it’s almost impractical – and the RPC is perfect for that”.
Music and lyrics – from hiphop and stoner rock, are big inspirations for Matt’s works. Classic comicbooks of the 70s and 80s, 1960s counterculture, grafitti, stickers and street art, bootleg toys, being outdoors with a firepit and an axe, and role-playing games also come into play.
Matt is proud of his printmaking achievements so far, ticking off wins including prints as illustration in a magazine and then a book, a t-shirt for a clothing company, a big piece in an exhibition, real-money commissions, and holding print fairs.
He concludes; “I used to think the dream would be to make a living from this, but then I worry it would become just a full-time job. So I set myself goals and and just blunder forward until I reach the target”. Matt has just completed a “proper” printmaking course and has some t-shirt commissions about to go live. Keep your eyes peeled!
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