wejetset - magazine - Travel Chronicles: Matt W. Moore On the Move 2008

Travel Chronicles: Matt W. Moore On the Move 2008

For this week’s Travel Chronicles we’re excited to present Matt W. Moore. Matt founded MWM Graphics, an art & design studio currently based in Portland, Maine. Working across several disciplines, Matt moves from colorful illustrations in his signature “Vectorfunk” style, to freeform watercolor paintings, and massive aerosol murals – all creating an exciting world of scrambled geometry and vibrant colors. MWM has recently worked with Nike, Citroen, Gravis, Microsoft, Blackberry, Ludwig, Tank Theory, and many more.

In 2008 Matt has shown his artwork at Concrete Hermit London, Sanctuary Portland, ROJO Barcelona, and Revolve LA. Today Matt provides us with an inspiring glimpse at his travels through conversation and photos. Click Read More to check out MWM’s Travel Chronicles 2008.

Please note that corresponding editorial follows the pictures

Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. As a city it has a very unique contemporary art and design culture, and strong visual and architectural history too. I traveled to Barcelona in May for my Solo-Show at ROJO Gallery. The artwork I created for the show was inspired by the detailed geometric tile mosaics, the vibrant Spanish color palettes, and the asymmetrical geometry of this amazing Mediterranean city. Qué bueno!

Another favorite spot for inspiration and visiting with longtime friends is The Bay Area. It’s amazing how much goodness is packed into a ten mile radius of SF. Art, music, nature, mountains, amazing weather, fashion, hippies, great book stores, graffiti, and everything else too. I was out in SF a couple times this year. My favorite memories are of this crazy dock fort in Oakland, a laxidasical day chilling at Muir Beach north of the city, fried chicken at The Front Porch, and pitchers at Zeitgeist. Always good times in SF.

Due to an Expedia-riffic flight blunder I managed to make a nice cameo in London over the summer. A full day of meandering around downtown, checking local bookstores, site seeing, and a top-notch “English Breakfast”, kinda like a trucker-plate in The States. Over the years I’ve seen some pretty amazing things on the sides of trains, and I must say, this graphic on the London Underground is legit. Reminds me of an 80’s Winnebago remixed by Chuck Anderson. So fresh. Mind the gap YO! I’m looking forward to returning to London in March 2009 for my Solo-Show at Concrete Hermit.

New York City has always been a huge inspiration for me, I always return to my studio recharged and ready to push my work in new directions. I make sure to pass through every couple of months, and always stop in to see what The KDU has spinning out in Williamsburg. David and Lex have a great studio space and showroom for their SVSV and Savant fashion lines. I look up to these guys a lot for their hard work and dedication to Futurecraft and forward-thinking design aesthetics. The subway trip to BK from Manhattan is always filled with fresh graffiti too. Best of both worlds.

Although I’m not a lifetime “Maine-ah” I have lived in Portland on-and-off for the past seven years. This state has a great balance of raw nature and strong culture. Portland has a thriving artist community, great music, and legendary seafood. Quality waves year round for the surfers and big snow in the winter for the riders. I am proud to call Maine my home. The Welcome sign on I95 says it all… “Maine. Worth a visit. Worth a lifetime.” *Little known fact: Maine has as much coastline as the entire East Coast combined thanks to all the peninsulas and islands. Truth.

Amsterdam, or as I like to call it “Euro-Vegas” is always fun in moderation. Aside from the obvious XXX-ness of the city and the lazy spliff afternoons in coffee shops, this city has a lot going on that sometimes goes overlooked. Bicycles rule the streets, bookstores are filled with rare art, design, and architecture books, and Heineken is local. Oh, and the downtown is absolutely crushed with quality graffiti from international artists who we’ve all heard of. Bonus.

This year I returned to Barcelona again in July to attend the Bread & Butter Tradeshow. These things are always fun, in a daunting, holy-shit kind of way. It’s exciting getting a glimpse into what the world will be wearing next year, and it is even more fun hanging out with other designers and the folks that pioneered the new fashion movements. BBB is an enormous show, and every night was a celebration with wild parties hosted by magazines and fashion labels.

I love the window seat. My creativity is on rapid fire when I’m flying. Most of my work revolves around abstract shapes and geometry, so watching the world from above is a blast. I really enjoy the juxtaposition of man-made landscapes and natural environments. The way a city was carved into a mountainside, or how a harbor was sculpted with landfill, or how farms have been gridded out. This stuff definitely inspired my geometric work. Airplane doodles rock.

Travel is definitely a great source of inspiration, but after that it’s my friends and their stories of recent projects that keeps my gears turning. It’s always nice to get home to a rocking barbeque party after being away for a while. And then after the party falling asleep in a familiar bed with the alarm clock off. Crucial reset.

In August I had a Solo-Show at the new Revolve Boutique on Melrose Ave. I spent the week leading up to the opening preparing for the show and exploring local galleries, flagship retail stores and boutiques. I found it really inspirational how each brand tricked out their shop with uniquely branded decor and custom displays for product. Streetwear is alive and well in LA, and the fine art scene there is epic.