"Crash" Matos

John “Crash” Matos is a well known modern artist and former graffiti artist. John’s earlier work focused on “ masters” or “pieces” which consists of full mural-like pictures as opposed to “tagging” which is more or less an elaborate signature. Unlike others who have come from this background, John was able to successfully transition his work’s support from primarily trains and walls to canvas. Although he made this transition, John still utilizes the tools of his former life, spray-paint to create his work.

What one immediately grasps when you look at his work is his aggressive use of bold color… color that is not just aesthetically pleasing, but tells a story as well. His adventurous nature shines through in his strong transitions in color, shape and style. There are definite comic book references made in certain pieces like “Shadow”, while “In Contempt Of” seems to stick to his graffiti-inspired roots.
There is a quality about his work that makes me feel like he has an almost imaginary sack of ideas in his mind where he extracts his images to put into his work. Although some of the images he superimposes or squeezes in on one canvas may seem random, there is something about them that joins them together. The separate images almost seem to be fighting for supremacy and space on the canvas while John picks and creates the ones with the most compelling story. Each image has something to say individually, all the while still contributing to the bigger picture.

A common theme among the various pieces that I have looked at would be John’s infatuation with the eye. Eyes are painted meticulously making clear and distinct appearances in works while other objects are obscured by or overlap one another. The eye is depicted as a radiant force in otherwise unintelligible pieces. Possibly because many people believe the eye to be the window to one’s soul, I believe John makes the eye the window to his paintings’ souls by conveying their meaning or purpose through them. John is a master at his craft, and I really appreciate that fact that he remains focused on his individual vision within a world which is dominated by oil and acrylic.