Matt Duffin's highly rendered encaustic paintings are infused with a dark humor and wry social and political commentaries on contemporary life.  His current work is connected to darkness (literally and conceptually) with overtones of humor and sarcasm mitigating feelings of quiet desperation. The content reveals a bit of the artist's inner psyche and center around issues that concern him.



His process begins with darkness and the feelings connected to it; tranquility, melancholy, anxiety and mystery.  His imagery reveals concepts that draw the viewer in and captivates them with his unique wit, mystery and solitude.  



Beginning with white illustration board or a primed panel, Duffin layers black pigmented wax onto the smooth surface.  Utilizing small tolls, he meticulously roughs out images, scraping them down to the imagery he seeks.  The highly rendered and tactile quality of his work is achieved by painstakingly scratching through the black was covered surface, revealing the lighter colored substrate beneath the black wax.



Duffin received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Houston.  He currently lives and works in Northern California.  His work has received critical recognition from some of the most respected museum curators and collectors in the country and is included in many public and private collections.





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