Matthew Lillibridge, Asheville, NC
Member Since April 2009
Artist Statement MATTHEW LILLIBRIDGE
VISIONARY ARTIST
Matthew entered this plane of existence in 1972, coming of age in Rochester, NY. He has lived in Anchorage, Dallas, Key West and Chicago; finally finding fertile ground to put down roots in Asheville, NC.
Tolerance, open-mindedness and acceptance of all paths as valid, were fundamental to Matthew’s early worldview. Raised by a lesbian couple in the U-U church, his attitudes have been called “progressive” by some, “liberal” by others and “subversive” or “weird” by those who are easily frightened.
Running through the course of Matthew’s life has been a continual love for drawing. Originally, these were pencil or pen-and-ink drawings. Symbolic and surreal, they were a way of communicating complex thoughts, feelings and ideas with a world that was often too busy to stop and listen. He would sit in the local all-night coffee shops, cigarette in one hand, compulsively sketching whatever the tide of his own psychology had washed up on the shores of his consciousness. Sometimes, the drawings were sick, disturbed, or frightening. Sometimes, there was genuine beauty and deeply felt compassion. All of it was authentic.
By the late 90’s, Matthew had found structured religion too confining for his ever-expanding reality, and left college in order to find his own version of Truth. This led him through a variety of occupations, from bookstore employee to puppeteer. Eventually, his path took him to the Omega Institute for Holistic studies. He had a natural affinity for the shamanic, and was strongly influenced by the teachings and beliefs of a Lakota Shaman. Other great minds such as Krishna Das, George Leonard, and Chris Mitchell helped to formulate Matthew’s ideas about the world and our place in it.
Ultimately, it was the teachings and ideas of Alex Grey that caused the greatest shift in his artwork. Alex referred to, “the artist as Visionary” and spoke of art as a tool for “communicating a greater vision.” It was this dialogue which helped Matthew to find his current voice.
No longer merely a tool for simply expressing his own psychology, Matthew’s artwork began to express a much larger cosmology, and took on a visionary quality reflective of his own experiences. Transcending traditional themes Matthew continues to explore mixing religious memes and messages from greater masters. As his attitudes shift, expand and grow; so the artwork follows.
Click to save as artist's preferred kit 
