I had the opportunity to ask the talented Mathieu Nozieres some questions about his work! Check out the the interview below!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became an artist….What inspires you to create? 

Hello ! I am French, born in the city of Grenoble. As far as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by arts. The first impact I had was in kindergarten: I found a Matisse book and I felt both excited and a little scared. All these colors, shapes, curves, etc. were really eyecatching, but at the same time, why did this woman have a bold green line down the middle of her face? I believe it was my first introduction to art and the freedom we can find there. My sources of inspiration are quite broad but I would say that bringing something to life that was first only in my head inspires me a lot.

2. Did you study art or are you self taught? 

I started out by studying comics before moving on to studying painting. I have an MFA.

What are your opinions on art education and do you think that it’s important for an artists to have some form of art education? 

To be honest, both art education and self-study can work. It all depends on your dedication. These days, you have online mentorships, videos, etc. that you can learn a lot from. The only thing you won’t find anywhere other than an art school are the real people, next to you. Which is something that generates excellent emulation.

3. What is the most surprising or challenging aspect of being an artist and is there anything you don’t like about it?

Perhaps the most surprising thing is to find out what is on your mind. There is a whole universe up there! The hardest part is making your art useful and meaningful. What I don’t like, well, what I really hate is cleaning the brushes!

4. Your work is extremely fascinating and I’m really intrigued by your use of symbology.

For example, I notice that there are a lot of doorways,
rivers and horses in your work. How important is symbology to you and do you choose to include such elements, like horses, for a specific reason?

I feel that symbols are a great way to express an idea while making it
discreet. It’s here, but it’s not taking all the light. Doors are used in my
work as a symbol of transition, wether it is an organic transition, a
philosophical one etc. Rivers are expressing a direction. The directions that we took, take, and will take. For horses I use it as a symbol of freedom: When the character is on a horse, he / she seems untouchable.

Additionally, do you prefer your work to be read metaphorically or literally?

Both ways are good. I like the fact that the story can be different
depending on who is looking at the work.

5. I also like the way that your work is very realistic, and by using carefully selected imagery, you create these scenes which appear to be both true to life, but also a bit surrealistic.

Considering this, do you think that art should reflect real life? Should a
piece of art mimic the world we live in, or should it transport us to a different world?

I believe that art should reflect what we might call our own reality. So
even if an artwork mimics the world we live in, there will always be a
slight difference that will transport the viewer somewhere.

Is an image that is more photorealistic a ‘better’ piece of art?

It depends on the context. In a photorealism competition, it will surely be a better piece of art. But if we think in terms of expression, realism is just one alphabet among many.

6. Two fascinating aspects of your work, which really makes it visually intriguing, is your use of perspective and composition. There are many images, such as Boy On Horse and Freedom Chased By Memories, in which you paint these characters in mid-motion, surrounded by this strange, almost desert-like landscapes.

How much thought goes into the backgrounds of your images and what is the relationship between the person and place within your images?
Does the idea for the background come before or after the idea of the central character?

This love for desert environments certainly comes from Moebius. Jean
Giraud had a great influence on me. I use the desert as a representation
of our consciousness: from my point of view it would be a vast landscape, calm and desertic. The scenes in my paintings could be the visual representation of our thoughts appearing in that space.
The idea of the background comes at the same time I think. When I have an idea, it’s more a scene than a particular element.

Additionally, do you create the backgrounds with an actual place in mind and/or photographic reference or is it an imagined landscape?

I combine photographs with imagination.

7. A lot of your work, if not most, is created in this beautiful
monochromatic blue colour, which gives your work an extremely distinctive style. What was the idea or concept behind creating works that are mainly monochromatic and how do you think that this changes the way people read your work?

This particular blue brings a heavy and calm atmosphere that I like. I
think it forces people to sit in front of the work (and themselves) for a
while. It’s not a color that excites your mind, it’s more of something that calms you down

8. Can you talk a bit about the creative process of creating an image, from concept to creation? At what point does the initial idea for a painting become a physical piece of work and how much research goes into creating an image?

I use both reality and my imagination to create an image. Plots of reality
will stimulate my imagination, and plots of imagination will stimulate my
reality. It becomes a physical piece once the puzzle is in place.
This process can take a lot of research or go quite quickly.

Do you create from photo references and what is the general time frame of a painting?
of a painting?

I use photo references, models, 3D modeling, imagination, etc.
The timeframe of a painting depends on the complexity of its
composition and the clarity of my goal/destination. I can’t really put a
specific number of days or weeks. As mentioned above, this can go
quite quickly or be a long process.

Also, how do you know when an image is finished, and, once it is, how
long is it before you share the image online?

An image is considered finished when I add something that suddenly
makes it worse. So I understand that everything is there and nothing
more is needed.

If the painting is going to an exhibition, I will not share the full image until the opening. Otherwise I can share it anytime.

9. As well as maintaining a growing presence online, you also have, and continue to, exhibit your work in various galleries both online and in real life. How did you become involved with exhibiting your work and what has your experience with exhibiting your work been like?

Exhibiting my work has always been a great experience. Seeing your
work on an exhibition wall is like being on stage when you’re a musician.
You really feel that your painting is in its place.

I started to get involved in exhibitions as soon as I decided to become a professional painter. I worked, sent portfolios, met gallery owners etc.

At what point did you feel that your work was ‘good enough’ to be exhibited and do you have any advice for artists who might be looking to exhibit their work?

When you create something, no matter how it looks, it will never feel
“good enough” to you. So I started sending out portfolios when I felt I
was ready to handle the pace, the effort, and the responsibility of being a professional artist.

For artists looking to exhibit their work, I suggest they start sending
portfolios because whatever the answer is, it will help you grow.

10. One thing I notice about your work when I’ve seen exhibition pictures are the varying scales and sizes. Some paintings, like Loyalty are fairly small, and others, like Blue on Black, are extremely large, almost life sized. Others, such as Boy On Horse, have been repainted in various sizes.

What prompted you to decide to create work that varied in size as opposed to choosing a standard set size?

Also, what factors determine the size of a piece of work and do you consider how the image will be exhibited when you are painting them?

I like to alternate between works where your body becomes active, like
when you paint a large work and move back and forth, move your whole
arm when applying strokes, etc. and small works where you just sit and
your body is put on hold. The size, ultimately, will depend on the subject.
I think some paintings have to be big and some have to be more
intimate.

11. It’s no secret that creating the work is actually a very small part of being an artist. There are so many different hats you have to wear and one of the under-discussed elements of being a creative is marketing your work.

What percentage of time do you spend marketing your art and what percentage of time do you spend creating work?

I probably spend 70% of my time creating, 20% promoting it and 10%
“finalizing” it: Varnishing, framing, taking photos, shipping etc.

Additionally, do you market your work outside of the internet, and if so, how? Do artists rely too heavily on the internet to market their work?

I work with galleries so my work is also marketed off the internet. I think
building a solid career is a mixture of online and offline. The two work
hand in hand.

12. In the age of social media, where everyone is constantly creating and uploading, do you think that the way people interact and think about art has changed?

Are people too caught up with the likes and views attached to images, as opposed to the deeper message the images convey?

The way people interact and think about art has probably changed. We
are now accustomed to a fast pace in all aspects of our lives. So we look
at art with the same speed. Social apps certainly didn’t help with that.
When it comes to likes and views, people need to stay focused on the
meaning they give to their practice.

Additionally, what are your opinions about social media and how has it affected your practice? Is social media helpful to the creative process?

Social media is a great place to see what’s going on in your domain. It’s
like a modern Salon where you can see each of your pair’s latest works
It can also help you connect with those pairs who may be living on the
other side of the globe. But it can also become a trap. As said before, you can start to judge your work according to criteria that are not necessarily consistent.

13. How do you measure the success of an image?

When I see people moved by the image. They can all be moved differently, but if there’s something going on in them then I feel like the painting is working.

Do you judge the success by the amount of social media engagement such as views, likes, comments and shares, by the amount of money it makes, or by a different set of criteria?

As I said above, by the quality of the human reaction it produces.

14. Being an artist and creating art can often be a very personal pursuit, in which people may or may not understand your intentions for creating the type of work you create.

Do you find being artist to be isolating or liberating, and what do you think your work says about you as a person?

I think being an artist is liberating. Because it is a quest that allows you
to get to know yourself better.

My work explores a part of my personality that is quite thoughtful and introverted. Each of us is like a prism and painting certainly explores this side of me.

15. Is it important for an artist to have a message in their work and if so, how do you find the balance between creating work that is meaningful to others yet also part of your cohesive narrative?

I believe that whatever you do, having a message is important. What
message ? It’s everyone’s personal quest / challenge. But you have to
know why you are doing something. And once you do something
meaningful the people around you, in one way or another, will be
inspired by that as well.

16. In your opinion, what makes a good piece of art?

A work of art that has no separation from who you are.

What was the last image/piece of media that captivated you and what
was it about it that left an impression on you?

Probably a few pen and ink illustrations from the Golden Era. It really
inspired me on how to combine elegance and creativity.

Additionally, can anyone be an artist and it is worth creating art if it’s not commercial?

Everyone can elevate their practice to the rank of art. For me, art is the
act of mastering something and spreading a message through that
mastery. Having both, whatever your field, will make you an artist in my
eyes.

17. What does being a successful artist mean to you? Has your idea of being successful changed since you first started your career?

In my opinion, being a successful artist is about constantly evolving. I
think movement is important.
My idea of being successful has certainly changed over the years. But I
always told myself that what I want deeply is to know more than
yesterday.

18. Do you think that we live in a society that cultivates or curtails creativity? Does artistic freedom really exist?

I think you can find both. It depends on where you are putting your
attention but yes, I think artistic freedom really does exist.

19. Copyright, especially in the technological age, is a huge problem. What actions do you take to ensure that your work is not being used without your permission, and have you had any experiences with plagiarism?

Is this an issue that you think about and what are your
thoughts about intellectual property rights for artists?

I have never had any plagiarism experiences. I am aware of it but it has
not happened to me yet.

20. What are you currently working on and where can people find more about you and your work?

I am currently working on a painting for an exhibition with Haven Gallery
and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine. People can find more about my work at
Haven Gallery (New York), on my website and on instagram.