Last night at 909 West Magnolia street in the great city of Fort Worth there was an art gallery opening. THEMATTIX art gallery was born of local talents and properly celebrated with a killer DJ and even a live demo by Clif Mattix, the proprietor himself. Mattix made an amazing use of the space in the building and left no wall unsaturated by the eclectic and fascinating art that ranged from dark to western. Naturally NBN came out not only to support my momma (Joy Sanchez), but also to interview some of the artists that I could trick into letting me pester them for 10-20 minutes.

The first man you’d encounter at the front of the gallery was the DJ Jeff Langhammer AKA “Stigma”. He has a cool official interview in yesterdays Startelegram in the entertainment section, but he agreed to interview with little old me nonetheless. On gallery opening night he set the stage mood at the store front playing kid safe music in the street. He used to be into indie rock, (Which is actually a genre that is coming back strong lately.) however at the moment he’s into house and trap music. “I have a limited amount of time to listen to music. So I want to listen to what I like best while I can.” What is he all about? “Bringing atmosphere”, and boy did he bring it!

DJ Stigma and myself.

Charla Pavlick is the first artist I met and interviewed. She favors the mixed medium and at the moment is particularly partial to acrylic and old LIFE magazines from the sixties! Pavlick says she’s been an artist all her life and graduated from TCU with a degree in graphic design. She laughs saying, “There was that short amount of time where I was a flight attendant, but I got out of that pretty fast!” Pavlick’s favorite (and also a crowd favorite!) piece of hers in the gallery was a piece titled “Cowgirl” which showcases a sassy southern lady’s silhouette on a large canvas made with… You guessed it… Those life magazines and acrylic! When I asked Pavlick what her personal mantra was she remarked, “That’s a really good question!” Her final answer was, “I guess the thing I do tell myself every day is ‘Everything’s going to be okay’.”

Charla Pavlick and myself.

“Cowgirl” by Charla Pavlick.

Next I met a man named Paul Wolff (Whom I admittedly raved about for weeks before the gallery opened. No shame in my game.). His medium of choice is acrylic. Wolff claims that he has been an artist since childhood and says that even his kindergarten teachers remarked that he “might have a talent for art, and should be encouraged”. His “professional” beginning though would be after he graduated as an Art Major from Stephen F. Austin in 1990. “Before you were even born,” he said while laughing. Wolff’s favorite piece of his that was taken into the gallery was his Frank Zappa piece. Although he loves his newer musician pieces he’s ready to get back into something more conceptual for his next piece. When asked his mantra he explained to me, “I’ve come to a change in my life in the past year. I’m 46. I’m immersed in heart. I’m not a nine to five guy. I guess it would be that… Life might start at middle age, it’s not over at 30.”

Paul Wolff and myself next to my personal favorite piece of his.

Paul Wolff’s “Frank Zappa”.

The next character was such a pleasure to interview and it turns out he is not only a skilled light painting photographer, but also a selfie master. His name is Chad Davis. On top of his architectural photography gigs he has been an artist for 10 years and is a photographer. Each photo he takes is a 30 minute exposure photo where he runs in and lights up certain portions of the photo where he sees fit. Thus the term “light painting”. His favorite featured piece was his 15 minute photo at the Old Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. He explained to me that it’s very important to pre-plan the types of photos he takes and know your colors in advance because you may only get six chances in a single night to get it to come out the way you envisioned it. When asked his mantra I was given many answers. Here are my three favorites: 1.) “I work a lot.” 2.) “I can’t think of a mantra… I work too much.” 3.) “Try to keep up with Paul Wolff.”

Chad Davis and Myself.

“Untitled” by Chad Davis.

Next up is Nick Kirk. His favorite medium? Simple He has no favorites of anything and in a single 2D work he uses between 4-6 different mediums anyway. Kirk completed his Fine Art degree and graduated from TCU in 2002. He then went into construction architecture for 5-6 years and got back into this type of art in 2010-2011. White Face Jackpot was not only a crowd favorite but his favorite work accepted into the gallery. When asked his mantra he didn’t skip a beat, “Move forward. Plain and simple.”

Nick Kirk and myself.

Bill Carter was all business when I walked up to him to ask for 10 minutes of interrogation. Carter has been a professional photographer for 18 years. The piece that I interviewed him in front of was “Forgotten Memories” and that was also his favorite piece picked for the gallery. This piece was made in an abandoned orphanage which may or may not be the result of some trespassing, however the world might never know. When I asked Bill Carter what he was all about he had two answers. 1.) “Hoping that I can information share.” 2.) “Hoping that I can inspire one person at least in a day.” After all the business was done I asked for a proper selfie. He said yes of course, but only after he put his shades on!

Bill Carter and myself.

Shane Harrison was a very timid and friendly fellow that I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing. He is a digital artist that infuses his graphics with a sort of grungy-fun flair. I asked him how long he’s been and artist and he said, “Probably 30 years. Since I was a kid.” We took our photo together in front of his favorite work taken into the gallery that is titled “Peace Keeper”. Though Harrison is a man of few words his mantra resonated with me the most. His is to “Be fair with people. Treat others with respect.” He explained, “It’s something we could all do better… We’re all sharing this world.”

Last but not least is the man with the plan to make it all happen, Clif Mattix. At the moment Mattix’ favorite medium is spray paint. He laughed and remarked, “Right now. In this moment. 2014. Spray paint. 2013 was airbrush and it’ll probably be acrylic next.” He’s been an artist for 31 years and obviously has no intention of stopping any time soon. His favorite piece placed in the Gallery is “Breaking Bad”. Mattix’ personal mantra is “Find adventure everywhere.” Due to Mattix being a busy man that day I didn’t get to snap a picture with him until I took my heels off at the end of the day!

Clif Mattix and Myself.

Myself next to “Breaking Bad” by Clif Mattix.

Interviewing Clif Mattix behind his demo piece.

A very special thank you to Clif Mattix from the bottom of my heart for letting me interview all of these very special people for my NBN piece!

Until next time XOXO,
NBNealie