Mat Hollingshead has enjoyed a love of the arts since childhood. The spring of 2004 was a turning point in his artistic development when he discovered working with stone. He was given a piece of soapstone that fit in the palm of his hand, and he began to carve. He immediately felt a connection with the medium. For two years he carved intimate scale stones in a meditative process until he aspired to work with something more challenging. Today he works almost solely in alabaster, a semi-soft stone that can be found in a variety of colors and transparencies from around the world.
“It’s not a race. Go slow, be patient, find what’s inside and take away the rest,” Mat says. His sculptures reflect a time and space that is present when you are lost in thought and the world around you is someplace else. They encompass the soft and curvilinear lines that make up the female form. The Mobius forms, which are made from one line, represent the path and connection that we feel throughout life. That journey is beautiful, sensual, sometimes awkward, and yet always genuine. His sculptures are made with regard to the journey of life, and the journey of the stone itself. He finds the natural lines inside the stone, and he makes the piece flow with its innate beauty.
Mat displays his sculptures at Wilder Nightingale Gallery in Taos, New Mexico. His work has been recognized recently by achieving the Best Sculpture Award in the Taos Fall Arts Open Show, in 2009 and 2010. Mat lives in Taos with his wife and children, and he works from his home studio. He welcomes questions and communication about his sculptures.
