Matthew English
Bio
I live on a small off-grid homestead in Wayne county. I attended Savannah College of Art and Design. I started binding and creating handmade books in 2014. In 2017 I apprenticed with Claudia Lee at Liberty Paper, and started to incorporate handmade paper into my work.
Describe your art/craft (medium, process, etc).
I work with handmade papers that I create from traditional paper making materials, like cotton, abaca, and mulberry, as well as wild plant materials, like milkweed, daylily, and iris. I incorporate wildcrafted natural dyes and nature images into my papers and create handmade journals and artist books for others to enjoy.
What drives you to make your art/craft?
My art is inspired by the natural world. I enjoy sharing how art can be created from wild nature into useful and pleasing objects.
Who or what are your greatest influences?
My greatest Influences are the birds like the oriole who weave beautiful nest with natural fibers, and the paper wasps that create paper homes from water and chewed up pulp from trees and plants.
How does living in Tennessee influence and inspire your art?
Living in Tennessee is great, It is full of plants for natural fiber, and natural dyes, and has such a rich history of traditional arts and crafts. I enjoy the diversity from the Mississippi to the Appalachian Mountains.
Beyond your art/craft, what are your other interests?
Beyond my art, I have 3 year old boy who I love playing outside with exploring the woods and the river, and going on adventures.
Anything else you want to share?
I really enjoy being a part of the Off the Beaten Path tour. I like spending the time with fellow artists in the studio, and meeting so many interesting people over the course of this weekend.
