matthew small do you want to talk to me about a special subject?
MS: yes…summer holidays!!!!!!

what is your best memory of summer holidays matthew small?

MS:going to youth clubs and beating people up (haaa) camping in caravans in great yarmouth and climbing mountains in isle of white (are there mountains in isle of white?)

do you like sunbathing matthew small?
(answer not suitable to publicize
sorry)

matthew small interrupts this interview and says
do we want mash or roast?
dante says
mash’d potatoes
and goes to the toilet
matthew small starts peeling potatoes and humming
lollipop lollipop lollipop
intervewer thinks of a suitable question to ask
(time passes)
dante returns from toilet

silence

MS: the thing about my blog is that when I write I try to write about something that connects with ART
(matthew small is hinting that I need to ask some art related questions)

yea but isnt life art? ( ie NOW)

MS:..yea

dante small:
wheres my sketchbook???

MS:its down ‘ere

dante small:
hey get me THAT pen matthew
(wrestling match ensues?)

MS:im so not angry (hungry?)

dante small:
that is a simple thing

back to interview

so…what were you thinking when you made your latest painting?
MS:my last NAKED paintng?

have you painted naked?
yes

ok but i am talking about your latest painting(nude or not) …what were you thinking?

MS:i was thinking… (tries out several possible answers out aloud none is true) i was thinking….

matthew small starts to cook and conviniently forgets about question asked

10 mins later

so what WERE you thinking?????????

oh what was thinking
errrm
i wanna go home
i want to, i want to eeeeeeeerm i hate people eerrm,
its a very nice day out
i dont know what im thinking when im painting
is that a bad thing …?
days of youth that makes you who you are
the way you see the world,
how children see the world
bla bla bla

bla bla bla?

MS:I NEVER SAID THAT

dante small:
ANYONE WANT TO SEE MY DRAWING??????

yes!
interview over

This week, if you happen to come across a Big Issue type person selling the magizine, don’t scurry away from them so quickly, as we all tend to do, place some spondolies in their hand and have a read of it. There’s a wee feature with me in it chatting about the art workshops and also the up coming Artival festival on saturday.

Here’s the info for the art project show, I have been down there at the Signal Gallery helping to set up the show, The exhibition is totally awesemondo.
I really hope people come down to see what’s been produced here, I get the feeling that these kinda shows are easily dismissed just because it has the words charity in the title, or the work has been done with people that have attended the workshops,
The fact is, the quality of art at the show is fantastic, the mosiac work is progressive and beautiful, and there’s a real sense that the exhibition has been put on for all the right reason’s which is a groovy thing

Man like Daddison is having a nice little shindig down in Bristol tomorrow showcasing his recent work and other bits and pieces, like Mookie do the right thing and get involved!

I have to admit, I have been a slightly lazy little artist of late, of which I feel kinda justified, i have had a busy year or so don’t you know.
Some times you have to give the old creative batteries a rest, let them recharge and just sit and reflect on what it is you have done and analyze why you do what you do as a artist.
I realized a little while ago that obsessing about how my career is going and busting my balls to make money from it was not going to fulfill me as a person. i wanted to be able to get to a point where the talent I had, could maybe benefit others not just myself, where I could realize that art has a bigger role to play than lining the pockets of a few galleries who don’t give a crap about the world outside their walls.
So much money has been made within the art world, but I don’t see enough ventures that make art a real instrument for change within society.
Anyways, little steps eventually gets a person somewhere near where they want to be..the S.H.P art workshops I have been involved in for me is a step in the right direction,
we aim to always have a exhibition of the work produced by the people that have taken part over the weeks. For the last few months we have been working on producing a series of mosaic art works, led by the funky fresh Carrie Reichardt.
This exhibition is a case in point that everyone has a creative bone stuck inside them somewhere, sometimes though we need to be given the instruments to locate the little blighter.
Big thanks to Chris and Dale at Signal gallery for being so generous with your space and to all the artists that have come down and contributed your time and creative energies, Arts for all, simple biz and rewarding for all….get involved, it’s a good thing.

A site that we at Matt Small towers particularly enjoy is Spine Magazine, get involved with them for all your musical needs. Also they are having what is set to be a rather splendid BBQ on August 16th, beer and meat, what else can a person need?

For your aural & spiritual pleasure while perusing the site, go check them!

Artival is a event being put on by SHP to highlight the work going on at the charity and the art workshops we are putting on.
The day will feature live bands and art demonstrations and tasty food.
I will be there painting away and producing some tasty lino cut prints and no doubt wowing the crowds with my immense artistic talents and maybe slurring my words a bit too.
Also, notice on the flyer that I only make second billing behind some mercury nominated rapping female, like she’s bigger than me. Im the urban artist of the year award winner 2008 for goods sake, lets get some perspective here people. Im not a happy bunny about that at all

There’s a lot of hip hop heads out there, like myself that despair at the state of the music today.
With all the performing monkey, lil wayne type chaps producing their substance less, mind numbingly dangerous, sinister, brain washing, generation x pap, it does feel kinda less powerful as a form of music these days.
Like any art form, there’s those that stick true to what they believe is real within them and there’s those that have a desire to exploit a genre for commercial gain.
There’s always beautiful art being made though, it’s just a little harder to see it at the moment. I suppose we all have to wade through the mud to see the little nuggets of gold hidden within.
Anyway, I’m an old git so check out some real hip hop shit from the era when everything was wonderful and there was nothing bad made and we were all happy and the world was good.

Ooooh betty….the art documentary i was part of has been stuck up on youtube……me not thinks that should of happened, but anyways, checkout Part2ism, Best ever and myself in this rather groovy piece of film