Biography

Red Matthews (b. 1979) is an oil painter whose work draws deeply from the iconography of Americana, particularly the visual language of the American West. Raised in the Midwest, amongst the farms and ranches of north St. Louis County, Missouri, Matthews developed an early connection to rural life and open landscapes that continues to inform his work. In 1999, he moved to Savannah to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he studied oil painting with a strong emphasis on the human figure and classical technique. After college, Matthews spent time in New Mexico before eventually settling in the Pacific Northwest. His years in the Southwest left a lasting imprint on his visual vocabulary. Matthews later continued his studies at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in the late 2000s. For nearly a decade, Matthews lived in rural Idaho, surrounded by ranches and arid mountain terrain, experiences that further deepened his connection to the landscapes and traditions of the American West. He now lives and works in Portland, Oregon.