OklahomaHorses Magazine Nov/Dec 2020

November/December 2020 • OklahomaHorses 19 EQU I NE ART I S T S Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE LIVING AS A FULL-TIME ARTIST? A. A roller coaster of a life. Feast or famine. Never boring. Not for the faint of heart. Q. HOW DID HORSES INFLUENCE YOUR ART CAREER? A. I grew up half the time in Purcell in the country and the other in the OKC area. We always had a couple of horses and other animals around. They were never something I pursued as they just were a part of my life and influenced subtly over the years. In the last decade, I’ve come to love and appreciate them more and more. In 2014, horses came into the picture literally as I came back to Oklahoma from one of my Taos, New Mexico, studios and when nothing was selling. An artist block on multiple levels, I finally let go and asked my horses if they would mind if I painted them. The next series really brought horses and influences from Oklahoma roots into the studio, and they have remained since. Q. WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? A. Ideally, I’m coming back from an adventure in the mountains with fresh energy and inspiration. I usually have multiple canvases and all supplies laid out and easily accessible. I like to make sure I don’t have pressing deadlines or obligations of other sorts to interrupt the process—giving the canvases my full attention. Over the years, I have gravitated toward having some premade ideas or sketches of what I will focus on with the new series I begin on. Crank ‘em out and take off on another adventure all over again. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIG BREAK INTO THE ART COMMUNITY? A. Art community or art market? I think those are two very different things. I don’t think one needs a big break to be a part of community. If you put yourself out there, you can easily fit in the art communities wherever you may be. Art market is a whole different world. There are dozens and dozens of moments over the years I have thought, “This is my break!” Some may have given me the illusion of a “big break” but were merely a domino effect of a few sales or some spotlight attention for a minute. Then back to the grind and hustle all over again. I think most artists go most of their career without one of these big breaks. Once in a blue moon, an artist gets one early on and never has to suffer the starving artist’s life. Others get it much later. For almost 20 years, I have chased that “break.” I no longer chase or care for that as if it doesn’t exist. I make whatever I am inspired to make when I want to make it and where. It sells to whom it’s meant for, exactly when it’s supposed to. Q. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY WHEN THEY VIEW YOUR ART? A. “Different strokes for different folks.” My work will never reach everyone, nor will it say what I would want it to say to everyone that sees it. So in that, I don’t care what people take away from it. Timing and relationships are everything in life. I simply focus on what I know I need to create and how I live. I’m playing my role in this life to the best I can. I trust that will connect me to exactly whom I’m supposed to meet in perfect time, whether it’s a friendship or a painting sale. My art has opened doors to relationships completely non-related to art itself other than the art helped make the connection. I’ve seen some break down in tears from seeing a painting. Neither was my goal. I make art and the art I make because my core instincts tell me to. Q. WHAT BROUGHT YOU BACK TO YOUR HOMETOWN IN OKLAHOMA? A. Honestly, that thing some call “the pandemic.” I am grateful for the turn of events that have brought me back to Oklahoma. It is and always will be my home. I have family here that will most likely never leave, so I plan on coming back more frequently but not spending 12 months a year here. Heck, I don’t do well spending 12 months a year anywhere for that matter. Visit mattjosef.com to learn more.