Life & Work with Joanne Chase-Mattillo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Chase-Mattillo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the Midwestern USA. I grew up in an area where there were many inspiring natural settings. There I developed an appreciation of the beauty of nature.

However, suffering through the heavy winters of my birthplace, I always dreamed of moving to the warmer Los Angeles, California. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in Theater, I moved to Los Angeles. It was a pleasant surprise to find the vast natural settings of hiking trails, hills and mountains and the beautiful Pacific Ocean that led to my entrance into the field of photography. These walks in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains that surround Los Angeles were always pleasantly meditative. I could not resist bringing a camera to these sites and found even when returning the same walks, there were always new and fresh inspiring subjects to capture first on film and eventually with a digital camera. Inspired to learn and grow in the field of photography that so inspired me, I began vigorously studying photography and other art arenas to hone my skills as a visual artist. In 2000, I graduated from California State University, Los Angeles with a Masters of Fine Art (MFA). During these years of study, I continued as a tenured teacher for Los Angeles Unified School District. I am now a full-time freelance artist. In addition to color and black and white film, I shoot digitally and employ the techniques of infrared imaging and enjoy creating 3D anaglyphs to be viewed with red/blue lenses. I also combine images of nature with movie stills, mannequins, or human subjects in photo montages, with occasional text included in these artworks. As an extension of photography, I branched out to do videos some with stop motion and have a YouTube Channel, THE VIDEO ART OF JOANNE CHASE-MATTILLO.

Most recently I have been focusing on portrait photography and have been also very inspired with the opportunity to explore underwater photography.

I have exhibited throughout California and the USA, in Korea, France and England, Switzerland, Scotland, and Greece. In 2022, my artwork was selected for Lunar Codex, a very special project partnered with NASA to deliver the images of art in a time capsule to be permanently affixed to the surface of the moon, selected by Era Contemporary Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of “Legends Of The Moon”.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I feel fortunate to have so many opportunities to exhibit my art since the early 1990s. Looking back, I feel this pursuit was not at difficult as I originally thought it to be. The biggest struggle I have moved through is to have faith in my artistic pursuits even when it was not always embraced curators and to know that is not always a reflection of the quality of my art efforts. It has taken years, but now I have finally been able to focus on my successes and to be more grateful for every art experience.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have never wanted my art to be ordinary. It is exciting to learn new techniques and to fulfill the continual pursuit to be the strongest and most knowledgeable artist I can be. Photography is an important art form. I have experienced some irritation when on occasion the term “Art and photography” has been used as if one is separate from the other. Just as with painting, sculpture, and other art techniques, photography is a continuing process and there are always new methods and skills to learn. As nature was my first venture into photography, I began capturing the natural sites of Los Angeles, that for a large urban area are vast and amazing. As before, but now even more prevalent with smartphones and digital access, everyone is labeled a photographer. To add a uniqueness to my photography, I began exploring infrared photography with the hope that the images captured though the form of infrared thermal imaging would bring nature to the still images that would go beyond more traditional black and white and color photography. I am also influenced by Hollywood Classic films and have often searched for techniques that would allow me to emulate a screen image with photo collages and combining up to four images on one photograph to emulate a strip of film. For several years, I have also created 3D Angalyphs that can be viewed with red/blue lenses. This is another way to bring outward from an otherwise flat 2D image that further brings to life the subjects of a photograph.

Another technique that I have utilized with my photographs is in the creation of some simple stop-action photography that can be seen on my Youtube Channel, THE VIDEO ART OF JOANNE CHASE-MATTILL0. I have also always admired the works of other photographers using underwater photography and have recently had the opportunity to explore this skill. This is a style of photography I hope to do more of. I sense that what has set my photography apart is the use of the above-stated styles of photography not always employed by other photographers. As with many artists I am most excited about recent successes. This year I have found more opportunities to show my art throughout Europe. However, what I most recently have been inspired by is the opportunity to be part of the Lunar Codex, with the NASA connection, wherein a time capsule of my art along with that of 30,000 artists, musicians, and writers throughout the world will be landing on the moon.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
One technique of photography is that you can work independently. When Covid-19 hit, I was still able to go out alone and take nature photographs apart from the presence of other people. At times honoring the restrictions of Covid, I was able to go to a few photoshoots. Though I have not yet explored NFTs, I found with Covid there were many galleries that moved from in-gallery to online exhibitions. I did not have to always print in the moment for an exhibition of my photographs. Unexpectedly, I found more opportunities to exhibit my art online, including galleries where they would print selected photographs so I did not have to pay the high VAT fees that would be required to send my art overseas. Having to stay home and less distracted by outside-the-home pursuits, I used this time to create more photo work.

Pricing:

• $500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joannechasemattillo.com
• Instagram: @JoanneMattillo
• Facebook: @JoanneMattillo
• Youtube: The Video Art of Joanne Chase-Mattillo

Image Credits
A Backward Gaze Underwater Archival Photograph Joanne Chase-Mattillo Beauty WithStuds. Archival Color Photograph Joanne Chase-Mattillo Hollywood Bowl – The Stars Are Out. Infrared Photo Montage Joanne Chase-Mattillo Letting Go Underwater Archival Photograph Joanne Chase-Mattillo Red Moon Over Rocks and Sand Infrared Photo Montage Joanne Chase-Mattillo Shimmer Black and White Archival Photograph Joanne Chase-Mattillo The Map of His Face Black and White Archival Photograph Joanne Chase-Mattillo