Matthew Mattingly

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Pen and ink drawing of young woman with long black hair and red lips. She is braiding a “love knot,” an intricate design involving two plaits of hair with red ribbons wrapped around them, into her hair.

"Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair"

Will be at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA, for the 4th Annual Small Works Exhibit.

Pen and ink, watercolor

5" x 7"

www.gatewaycityarts.com/small-works-gallery

From “The Highwayman”by Alfred Moyes. I had this idea for Inktober day 4 “knot” but realized it needed a fair bit of research and preparation (like, what the heck is a love-knot?) and found a reference to a Celtic love-knot, which she is plaiting into her hair with red ribbons wrapped around the individual plaits. Later I discovered someone else had done the same subject, but pictured it as a probably more accurate and certainly simpler approach where she had tied the knot into a ribbon which she then braided into her hair.

You can read the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43187/the-highwayman

"Pencil drawing of bald, bearded man with cane stepping down from old-fashioned trolley car with assistance from woman supporting his arm and shoulder. Trolley driver and passengers faintly visible in background."

Heath Street Stop

Pencil, 7" x 5"

This is in the 10th Annual Small Works Show at

Hope and Feathers

319 Main St.

Amherst, MA.

12/1/2021 - 1/11/2022

Friday, June 11, 2021

Van Horn sketches

Watercolor from a walk in Van Horn Park in Springfield, MA. At first I was attracted by the light on the grassy peninsula, but a guy and his dog showed up so I put them in, too. 4” x 6” in sketchbook.

Peninsula at Van Horn Park. I did the same scene from the opposite side a few weeks ago (above). This time the sun was behind me, and instead of the guy and his dog showing up on my painting it was a couple of fisher fellows.

Watercolor 4” x 6” in sketchbook.

Another sketch of that peninsula in Van Horn Park, this time front on, like the prow of a ship. It was a gray day, so I did it on toned gray paper with black, gray, and white ink.