Visions of Paradise

Abstract painting in green, blue, yellow and red

Craig Mathewson.

Lovely is this whole land. — Endless Summer. 2021

Synthetic polymer on board. 400 h x 400 w mm

Rocks, waterfall, trees, hills, fountain and abstract elements. Purples, reds and blues

Craig Mathewson.

So every blessed man himself chooses eternal life. — Resurrection. 2021

Synthetic polymer on canvas.

500 h x 402w mm

Standing stones set against the sky, trees and hills, abstract elements in purple and yellow

Craig Mathewson.

Rejuvenated under the sheltering sky. — These stones will stand. 2021.

Synthetic polymer on canvas. 457 x 457 mm.

Abstract painting with standing stones, sheaves of wheat, vessel and finger

Craig Mathewson.

Often there is open the door of heaven’s empire - Springing Forth. 2021

Synthetic polymer on canvas. 457 x457mm.

Private collection

Chinese maze design. HIlls with a waterfall and rocky cliffs, connecting to heavenly waterfall with two trees. Trees growing out of rocks in the desert, with water gushing out of them

Craig Mathewson.

Unique is that well-watered realm. — The garden. 2021

Synthetic polymer on canvas. 457 x 457 mm.

Beautiful spreading tree with wide roots. Waterfall flowing down from plateau surrounded by hills. Waterfalls cascading down rocky cliffs, standing stones, and abstract elements. Purples, yellos and greens

Craig Mathewson.

Wondrously the boughs in the trees are always bearing fruit.— Homecoming. 2021.

Synthetic polymer on canvas. 457 x457 mm.

Private collection

The Phoenix - Visions of Paradise

Wondrously the boughs in the trees are always bearing fruit.— Homecoming. 457 x457 mm. Acr

My paintings are about the garden as a metaphor for paradise, at the intersection between the natural world and spirit realm.

Imagery is drawn from childhood memories of the majesty and grandeur of South Island landscapes, a Celtic heritage celebrating journey as well as arrival, a fascination and travels within the Persian world, and dreams of heaven.

Seemingly familiar objects of nature – a stream gushing from a rock, a tree, a refreshing waterfall, a brilliant sky, are intended points of encounter and “wonderment,” raising questions of connecting to the Devine, rather than objects of worship in themselves.

My process is a carefully curated storybook – like assembled fragments of a collage, that overlap, butt together and intersect. Multiple chapters, paintings within paintings, like an illustrated manuscript—explore a theme and invite the participant to enter into the journey. The colours flow organically as do the shapes from one to the other. Walking the tightrope between the figurative and abstract, the symbolic shapes beckon exploration. Never in isolation, the rendered or flat bounded shapes connect through association. Whether by a precise curvilinear or straight-edged line or geometrical shape the journey invites a heart response.

In the words of the poet from the medieval poem, “The Phoenix”:

“That is a joyful place, the groves green and roomy beneath the heavens… that bright land is higher… there the blessed one may enjoy his homeland.”