As well as creating stone carved pieces for clients, the artist also uses large reclaimed terracotta tiles (with fixings to hang on the wall) in which he employs his skills as a stone carver; carving, painting and oil gilding to create a unique collection with his signature graphic style.
There is something very moving about these works, the permanence of the material with the ethereal nature of the subject; a rising sun, a bird catching a worm, flowers beginning to fade - all captured for time memorial in the ancient tradition of stone carving.
The collection explores recurring themes and interests that run through the artist’s work; occult imagery, folk art, stoic humour, the dynamics of nature, and the concept of memento mori are all to be seen.
Much like the cards of a tarot deck, each tile is imbued with its own open-ended narrative, in the hopes that each viewer will interpret the iconography differently and derive their own meaning from the imagery.
There is a joyous duality in these large-scale tiles. A graphic sensibility and minimalism set against the aged texture of the reclaimed tiles and beautiful 24 carat gliding makes them feel both contemporary and ancient at the same time. The sophisticated use of just three colours, the dusky pale terracotta of the tile itself, the white enamel and the gilding make for a striking collection.
If you’ve ever wandered around an ancient church or Cathedral and paid close attention to the stone carvings, amongst the angels and religious symbols you would find humour everywhere; from gargoyles playing tricks, raucous musicians, gossiping townsfolk and figures letting out wind!
Matt Loughlin continues in this ancient tradition as seen in generous and humorous pieces such as Always Growing (above) which depicts a rotund-bellied vase in the form of a person. And in A Storm is Coming (below) two mice peep from the undergrowth to look at the storm clouds above with just the tip of a cat’s ears waiting to pounce.
As a letter-cutter it's no surprise that all the works have a strong relationship between title, text and image. Pieces such as One Day at a Time, Putting Down Roots and Such is Life generate an emotive response and in Know Where to Go a worm, gilded in 24 carat gold leaf, points the way. Is there anything more wonderful than a gold worm?!
These large and weighty architectural pieces appear like fragments from a reclaimed floor, unearthed in an ancient church. Nibbled edges, pockmarked and hand formed, these dusty pale terracotta tiles are given a new life by a contemporary stonemason practising a centuries old craft.
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