The Arts Council of New Westminster presents:
“Lost Wax and Art in Bronze”
by Robert Matza
July 1 – 24, 2016
Wednesday 1 – 8pm, Thursday – Sunday 1 – 5pm
Opening Reception: Wednesday July 6, 6 – 8pm
ARTIST STATEMENT
In 1929 my parents celebrated the birth of their 3rd son and christened him Robert Rupert. The location was a small village ca. 60 miles northwest of Vienna.
One day, when I was about 7 years old, my mother brought me to the barber, who was a well known woodcarver as well. After my haircut I stayed and watched that gentleman carve and from that moment on we became real good friends, despite the difference in age. He was a giant of a man, that is, from the waist on upward. As a victim of polio he could only walk a few meters. But he was never in a bad mood and in the years we could see each other, he showed me many ways to make a good carving.
In grad- and in high school, art was always my favoured subject and I excelled in drawing and painting. My teacher and my principal urged me to pursue a career in art. The war and the years after the war destroyed all my dreams in that respect. The time came for me in 1963 when I could learn something about art again. An artist worked on a big mural in the company where I worked as an accountant. After work, this gentleman gave courses in painting and woodcut making. The unstable situation in Europe in 1965 forced us to leave Germany and after reading about different countries we came to the decision to go to Canada. We never regretted coming here. The only regret we had is that we did not come here 10 years earlier.
At the Canadian embassy I was told that I would never find a job here as an accountant. I said to him whether he ever heard the saying that the North wind made the Vikings. It says you can never throw anything at me that I cannot handle.
Coming back to art, I worked in different foundries as moulder and that enabled me to take part in a symposium in 1982 at the Capilano College and once more in 1983. At that time I had my artwork in different art galleries in downtown Vancouver. A gallery here in Vancouver had a Gallery in the Rockies and they bought all of my work outright.
In conclusion, I can say that I sculpt, cast chase, and patina my own work without any outside help. A high degree of workmanship and consistent quality can thus be guaranteed for every casting.
