Tuesday, January 16, 2007

a typical night

will it come out good?
the best fish tacos
patchwork
hugh and i are a bit nightowlish in our studio, as i imagine many creatives might be. many of my studio mates thrive in the morning, but we tend to be more concentrated when the sun goes down.

lately i've been feeling like there is a very finite period of time that i am actually able to work... from 11-3 seems to be the best and then from 7-10. the rest feels very non-productive.

in the spirit of delurking i'll tell you a bit about myself.

firstly, my name: mati (long a) and my parents heard it from a friend of a friend, who they later found out has the same last name (rose). sometimes i do fib and say my parents are pirates... actually, it's true.

2ndly, i just finished post-bach work in art school, which coincides when i started this blog and it has been a constant companion in my art making process. always useful to vent and gain perspective from school... everyone tends to be incredibly kind & supportive when they come visit here. thank you:)

3rdly, art has always been a force in my life, but it wasn't until i took the step to go back to school 2 years ago that i started calling myself an artist. i'm 31. before that, i had studied latin american studies and minored in art. i lived in boston, JP, for a couple of years and worked at a non-profit for homeless children. then my soul sister and i took 2 months and drove cross-country and landed here. i temped and couch surfed at the funniest places for a bit. then i got a job working for a progressive art law firm that laid me off shortly after september 11th and the dotcom bust. i lived on unemployment and volunteered daily: as a yoga cook weekly for free yoga, at an art gallery where i had my first joint show with hugh, as an art therapy facilitator for homeless children; meanwhile i covered my kitchen table nightly with art projects and tried to figure out the next step. after about 6 months, my fiance hugh and i packed up all of our belongings into storage and headed to oaxaca, mexico for a few months to make art, experience dia de los muertos and see frida & diego's houses (all of which was a dream of mine). upon returning we huddled into our friend nigel's apartment (one room with all of our belongings & we are collectors) and i found a job in the food industry. and then another and saved up money to start school and here i am. currently i manage a trendy south indian restaurant part-time, which suits me perfectly in a lot of ways. i love learning about food and the backgrounds of the south indian chefs, talking spanish to the predominately mexican kitchen staff, bantering with the smart funny serving staff, drinking fresh chai, getting dressed up a night, eating for free, learning about wine, solving problems and being social after a day by myself in the studio. this is the balance. i've always been on the cusp of introvert/extrovert. i dream of being a full-time artist, but for right now it works.

4thly, i grew up in maine on the southern most point, kittery point. i dream of being bi-coastal in the summers so that one day our potential children could experience long days of being on the beach and traipsing around freely, outside of an urban environment. i miss my family most of the time, but also feel so expansive and inspired here in the mission district of san francisco with my studio and friends and the vibrancy of street signs, ice cream carts, palm trees, graffitti, tacos and all that makes this home.

what about you? where are you from/live/love/hope for?

cheers,
mati

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi mati! it's always great to learn more about you. i never had an interest in working in a restaurant until i read your post, and now it seems like a great job. a hard job, but a great one. i love the print you are working on...is it for something specific? do you and hugh ever collaborate on projects? jordan and i always talk about it, but sometimes we just end up yelling at each other. we have to give each other very specific roles...but he is the best person to brainstorm with...interesting.

Anonymous said...

what a great bio, :) it seems like you planned out the past few years in such a fluid way...adventurous and bright, in such an artistic spirit along the way.

wish you were here to help me with my spanish... * grin..

Anonymous said...

Mati, I love seeing how you got from where you were to where you are. I keep reading more and more about how people have just packed up their lives and began pursuing their dreams. It's very inspiring!

Thanks for sharing a piece of your story!

Tiffany*

Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson said...

Hello! Mati, you have such a cool name. I've been reading and enjoying your blog for some time now. I love having a peek into the life of an artist. This year, I'm mostly hoping for better health with which to enjoy my dream life, which is writing--which is what I love and do day in and day out. Thanks for blogging.

Lisa PN said...

mati,
love the delurking post! i did the same thing on my blog at www.girlcancreate.blogspot.com
it was preety fun!
we have a few things in common, taking a leap of faith from a job that isn't our dream, and taking a road trip and finding more art. really inspiring!!
the only difference is that you do it in lovely love san fran and i do it in slightly chilly toronto!

i must get to san fran soon. one of my best chums is there!

thanks for the inspiration, makes me want to go and take a visual art class! hhmmmm..

amy said...

so fun to learn more about you...congrats on finishing school and i love the new work!

Anonymous said...

seeing your silkscreen takes me back many years when i silk screened all the posters for our high school plays and painted sets. i knew nothing about silkscreen and had to learn fast--i loved the process and until i saw this picture of you haven't really thought much about it. something about your picture and the prints all over the floor makes me want to try it again...i love making woodcuts, watercolors, etc. and make ceramic tiles for a living. keep following your dream...it will lead you all sorts of fun and interesting places.

hannah said...

hello, my name is hannah garr. another viking name. i grew up not too far from you in portsmouth, new hampshire. i am still in portsmouth, working as a haridresser by day and spinning yarn by night. i love being by the ocean although right now it is making things a little bit chillier.

i went to art school for a year but found myself uninspired. it didnt suit me very well, i felt cramped and had a case of artist's block. i decided to come home and keep going with crafting and i was able to find something artistic for me with three dimensional hair.

i enjoy reading your blog and learning about you and your beautiful beautiful art. thank you for sharing a little bit more about yourself. i'm excited to keep reading, mati!

xo. garr (it sounds a little like a viking name too. garrrrrr i will pillage your village! i guess its german though, boring.)

hannah said...

and i didn't mean viking name at first. you have a beautiful pirate name i mean. excuse me, its been a long day.

lisa solomon said...

oh mati - so great to hear a bit more about you and your journey.... so glad to know i'll get to hear more as it continues....

see you soon!
xo

Natascha Rosenberg said...

Thanks for sharing!! I love your art!I wish you all the best.

amy said...

Hi Mati...it's me again! just got the postcard for your LA show on Feb. 10th...hoping to see you there unless this babe decides to come a bit early...I'll be the big huge pregnant one! best, amy

hannah said...

portsmouth is getting big and busy. there are new condos going up everywhere and some big fancy-schmancy stores. i'm not too sure how i feel about it all but its still home.

amity is a busy girl these days. i don't think she's cutting hair anymore but she owns the most wonderfull store, the odd showroom, i think its called and makes beautiful crocheted clothing and pillows. i think she's painting too.

well, snow is falling here in new hampshire but i heard that san fransisco hit 32 degrees not too long ago? yikes!

well, here's to a good weekend. keep stopping by my blog as i love to frequent yours!

xo.
hannah

Anonymous said...

De-lurking to say hi. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to concentrate on too but I'm glad I went back to school (graduated last spring). Going to Mexico to see Frida&Diego's house as well as Day of the Dead is a dream of mine too! I'm glad you had yours fulfilled.

Eero said...

Lovely story! It sounds like your life is really a flowing, organic, growing process....I tend to get hung up on planning too much, personally!
I'm a multi-media artist living in central Alaska.
Nifty blog, thanks for de-lurking and sharing!

jen v said...

hi mati - i liked learning more about you. thank you for sharing with us. also thank you for the postcard you sent regarding your etsy shop. it is nice to know that even a semi-small purchase can connect you with an artist. i look forward to spending more $$ in your shop :)

Geek+Nerd said...

Hi Mati! Lovely de-lurking post! Hurray for the Kittery Point shout out - I love hanging out there in the summer :)

kelly rae said...

hi mati! i also moved out west from the east coast after a roadtrip with a girlfriend (and love/hate being so far away from family). i am also 31. my husband and i also up and left, put everything in storage, and went to mexico. i also work best in the studio at night. i've worked at several non-profits with children as a social worker, and like you, i find that a part-time day job is a good balance to the alone time spent in a studio. i am on the cusp of gemini and cancer. i smile a ton. i am nervous sometimes. too critical of myself. and have deep rooted friendships. i love delurking!

Courtney Pippin-Mathur said...

hi mati,

I just found your blog through Penelope. I am an aspiring illustrator (and stay-at home mom) in Northern Virginia, near DC. We moved from Texas after school and I love the seasons and diversity. My husband is Indian(northern) and I love learning how to cook from his taijis. I love your style, very flowing and a bit fancy.

jenifer lake said...

hi mati! i've been reading your blog for a while; i love catching other artsy san francisco-ites doin's and their wanderings and what not. thank you for your elefante post card; it is on my studio wall now. i've been loving flickr too & catching more inspiring & lovely photos of yours & loads of other people. thanks for sharing! i de-lurked too on my blog :) happy day to you...

paula said...

My comment is late (I can't keep up on all the blogs I like), but I just want to say how impressed I am that you finished your post-bac work in art while holding down all your other jobs. I've got a BA in history and really wanted to get a 2nd degree in art/illustration but couldn't figure out how to pay for it. I ended up completing continuing ed certificates from RISD and am now working full-time at a desk job while my husband finishes school. I craft at night (http://jupiterbuttons.wordpress.com) and haven't managed to turn out many "art" projects recently...but I think you're inspiring me to try again. Thanks for sharing your experience.