LAYERS OF REALITY: ANDREW CLARRIDGE AND MATTHEW TERRY

Artist Statements

Andrew Clarridge

“My work is an endeavored process culminating out of experiences many or all of us have had in our lives. I like to focus on an array of issues such as technology and its psychological effects, enslavement, love, loss, death, renewal, enlightenment and empowerment. These are broad topics that have deep historic layers from which to sift through. The “layers” of inspiration are ambiguously related to the layers I build up in each piece. The digital work incorporates up to 50 layers or more of blending, mirroring, breaking apart, color correction etc. This work is derived from hand made pieces involving wildly vivid and bright colors, wood burned matrices and geometric form interplayed with organic counterparts. In both computer generated and hand-made pieces (sometimes both in one) the colors and forms are created to coexist with each other in a harmonious dance that often resonates with music I may be listening to at the same time.”

Matthew Terry

Life is expression; and from a young age Matthew has fully embraced this expression. Lost within his surroundings, at 16 he found photography, and through this medium he developed a way to connect with other individuals who also felt a similar level of detachment. By combining subjective perspective with universal appeal Matthew has found unique ways of questioning not only the identity of who we are, but also how we interact & relate to that which surrounds us. Whether he’s capturing a Landscape, Architecture, or the Human Form, his work challenges the relation of inherent truths & fiction that occur in our existence. Utilizing contrasting tones, and a distinctly deliberate perspective influenced by combining the conscious and subconscious as a means to question reality, Matthew showcases conceptual photos which evoke a level of detachment subtle enough for most people to connect with. It is through this connection that Matthew proves on a perceptual level just how related we actually are.

About the Artists

Andrew Clarridge is from Story City, and graduated with a BFA in 2009 from Iowa State University. Andrew has exhibited work with the artist group Paintpushers and also independently around central Iowa since 2010. Currently, Andrew creates work out of Mainframe Studios in Des Moines, and has an open studio where he demonstrates and discusses his work every first Friday of the month.

Matthew Terry is a Fine Art Photographer and graduate of the Academy of Art University, where he attained his BFA-Photography with a focus in Fine Art Photography in December of 2014. Currently located in the Davenport Iowa/Quad City area, Matthew picked up his first film camera in 2004 at age 16, and since has exhibited and sold work at galleries in Rome, San Francisco, and Minneapolis, among others. Additionally seeing work published both Nationally (Iowa, Vermont, New York, Atlanta) and Internationally (Italy, England). Growing up in the Midwest, he long felt alienated in both a physical and mental sense. Lost within his surroundings he found photography, and through this medium he found a way to connect with other individuals who also felt a similar level of detachment.

Recently featured in the Iowa 175th Anniversary edition of The Annals of Iowa and a featured guest at the 2021 Celebrate Iowa Gala, Matthew is a quickly emerging talent from the Eastern edge of Iowa attempting to change up the perception of what Midwestern/Iowa art has traditionally represented.

Exhibit Event

Layers of Reality Artist Talk with ISU Alum, Andrew Clarridge   
Wednesday, November 2, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Octagon Center for the Arts Community Gallery
Free and Open to the Public
Masks Required

Join artist Andrew Clarridge, an alum of ISU College of Design and a featured artist in the Octagon Center for the Arts’ Layers of Reality exhibit, for an artist talk on November 2nd. Andrew will talk about his exhibit artwork and artistic process, as well as answer questions from students and community members.

Layers of Reality: Andrew Clarridge and Matthew Terry is sponsored by the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University and PhotoSynthesis.