Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Jagitsch.
Hi Matt, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a kid, I was a drawer. I drew on everything. Walls, furniture, textbooks, desktops. I was that kid. Once I got into middle school and high school, I had some incredible teachers who taught me that art was a thing and how to harness that form of expression. I began to learn things like perspective, composition, and other laws of art. Well, laws may be a strong term, more like guidelines. Once I began to have some structural guidance, my interest in art grew at even more of a feverish pace. Art classes were constantly on my schedule of middle school and high school classes. After high school, I attended Eastern Illinois University and chose art as a major. Originally graphic design, I changed to a studio option. After college, I married and took a job in a non-art-related field. We began a family, and life took off down the road. Unfortunately, Art did not make the trip. I really got away from it all. People use the term “life got in the way,” but that’s not something I believe in. Life with my family was great, there simply weren’t enough hours in the day for everything. The longer I was away from art, the less I missed it. It stayed that way for 28 years. Fast forward those years and we are in the middle of Covid and the world, with the exception of the medical industry, suddenly has a LOT more time in their hands. My wife is an elementary teacher and was teaching remotely from home, so with us both being there more than normal, that’s all it took for her to suggest I find something to do to occupy this newfound spare time. So, I began to draw again. Within about a month I began experimenting with a technique first introduced to me in 1983 by a 7th-grade art teacher called reverse drawing. This is the medium of using a white pencil on black paper, or really any time your drawing implement is lighter in color than the surface you’re working on. You are drawing highlights rather than the shadows and shading of conventional drawing. After two years and over 200 pieces later, I continue to love the medium more each day. I’ve always loved black and white photography, and this is a way to recreate that dramatic, high-contrast look in a manual manner. I’ve shown professionally and am looking forward to seeing where this takes me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been an amazingly smooth road once I found the road. Lol. Things have progressed so quickly and well that sometimes I feel like I should kind of peek slowly around the corner because the other shoe is bound to drop. But seriously, my success has really had a lot to do with not knowing what I’m doing. I’ve applied for art fairs, gallery shows, etc., not knowing what I was getting into, only to find out later that some were fairly prestigious. I avoided that nervous anxiety of the whole situation by simply doing it before realizing the scope of things. And now that I’m beginning to realize just a fraction of how this game works, I continue to approach things with a casual attitude. I have enough stress in my normal life, I want art to be an escape from that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in reverse drawing. Well, if you can specialize in something after only two years. But I can say that that is what I’m known for. As far as what I’m most proud of, I’d say that it’s more of a role than any individual piece I’ve created… The art community is a family and I really try to do my part to be an active member in that family. I believe that sharing your experiences and knowledge, whatever that level is, is an integral part of helping other artists. What sets me apart from others? Well, while reverse drawing is not exactly a rare medium, it’s unique enough to capture people’s attention. It has a certain intensity to it. I try to use that intensity to create a connection with the viewer. My work is predominantly portraiture, human, and animal. I tend to focus on eye contact between to viewer and subject… Once that bond is made, that’s the connection; that’s what I’m after.
What are your plans for the future?
My future plans are out there. They’ll come to me. If you would have asked me that two years ago, I never would have guessed I’d be where I am today. So, I’m just hoping for continued growth, experience, and forming more friendships in the art world. I’m looking forward to future shows and exhibitions, of course, but really, just growing as an artist is the main goal. As far as changes, well I guess time will tell on that one.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @blacksheepstudio815
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Black-Sheep-Studio-100360712116866/
Image Credits
Unsplash
