05/06/2010-06/06/2010
From May 6 - June 6, the Allegany Arts Council’s Saville Gallery will present "The Landscape," featuring oil paintings by California artist Matthew Frederick.

An opening reception for this exhibit will be held on Saturday, May 8 from 5-8PM, in conjunction with an Arts Walk in Downtown Cumberland’s Arts & Entertainment District. The opening reception is free and open to the public, and the artist will be in attendance. For additional information, please call the Allegany Arts Council 301-777-ARTS (2787).

Matthew Frederick presents an unconventional and amusing spin on the genre of landscape painting. Inspired by his life amid Northern California’s scenic countryside, Frederick looks within the landscape to capture and exaggerate the whimsical shadows and shapes cast from surging hills, majestic oak trees and gaping valleys.

Frederick’s style is characterized by the careful balance of structure, color, lighting and mood. His compositions are rendered with a resplendent color palette of generous applications of paint and undulating brushwork, lending to a compelling emulation of the patterns and sensations inherent in nature.

“By abstracting from the surrounding landscape, it is my intent to create dynamic imitations that will hopefully encourage viewers to examine the countryside with a fresh perspective”, says Frederick.

Emboldened with lively energy, Frederick’s collection of bucolic landscapes is executed in a truly distinctive style, resulting in visual imprints of the physical world that draw attention to its most striking features.

Matthew Frederick studied painting at the schools of the Great Northern California region, and graduated in 1986. Chico State university and Sacramento State University provided instructors from the Bay Areas sixties movement to guide and inspire him. His work has been shown nationally in commercials galleries, universities, and public exhibitions on the east coast, California, and Hawaii. He has received numerous commissions, and is included in many prominent collections such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. His work was spotlighted in the September issue of Architectural Digest.

Frederick currently works in his studio in the Mission District of San Francisco.