John Mattson along with 3 other artists are showing their works at the SAALM Invitational Exhibit. Mattson believes we live in a world filled with imagery, most of which we take for granted, yet believes great art can change the heart, give us pause to contemplate, and remind us of our humanity – our pain, fear, yearning, and endless ability to love and to hate. Art still has the potential to exalt and trigger emotion.

“These paintings,” Mattson says, “are the cartoons of a soul unable to ignore the psychic distress inherent in our lives. Whether we admit it or not … there is deep within us a core of truth that scares us. I strive to make this visual with iconography that has slowly evolved as I mature. …. My work is my diary. The formalism of good composition and strong shape is important to me. Though I work from preliminary sketches, I never really know what will happen, usually feeling I am working at the edge of disaster. Painting is an exploration of uncharted territory, a constant test of my ability to be honest with myself.”