ARTIST PORTRAIT:
MATTHEW FALLS
By Jim Magner
HillRag>

Matt Falls makes furniture. Matt Falls makes art-the kind of art that occupies that esoteric space between pure and applied aesthetics. He not only straddles that fine line, he can walk down both sides at the same time.
What matthers most to Matt is function-that a finished work is what it is supposed to be: a chair, a table or a flat screen TV cabinet. The form, however, is design driven, using solid wood, mostly cherry, with the most revered construction traditions, While he designs in cooperation with his customers, it is ultimately his clear aesthetic sensibility that controls the finished work. There are no design knock-offs... no copies of famous pieces.
Matt is a co-founder of "CAOS" (Coalition of Artists On Shore) and is collaborating with local artists to include painted effects and reach a higher expression of individual identity. Furniture are has a long tradition and permits that combination of painting and craftsmanship that takes it to the art side of the aesthetic line.
Matt became a carpenter in Southern California after leaving the Navy, hanging out with clans of serious artists. He came east to be with family and discovered the sophisticated Washington market.
He uses strict Old School methods at his studio Cambridge on the castern shore and buys the finest cherry wood logs from the Forest Service. He strips the tree bark by hand and converts the logs to lumber-the wood is dried from 6 months to 2 years. Because he makes everything by hand, Matt is limited in how many pieces he can complete each year, so each customer and work is a crucial decision.
So here it is: you have a chance to reach beyond the usual and co-create a reasonable investment in very practical art with a superior craftsman and collaborating artists.