Matthew Frye’s work is also characterized by boldness of color and profusion of life. The warmer hues of the color wheel, red, orange, and yellow predominate his color pallet. These analogous hues generally seem to rest beautifully beside each other. When cooler colors, or even complementary opposite hues, are introduced, they usually are applied in a manner that balances rather than contradicts the composition. Recognizing the painter’s passion and his propensity to express the fullness of life without restraint, Frye frequently applies color in layers of forceful brush strokes that demand attention.

Born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, Frye is the youngest of five children, son of a nurseryman who later became a pastor; he learned early that people, like plants, require spiritual and emotional cultivation. Many of his paintings reflect his devotion to God, and his steadfast love for his family and friends. “Life is about loving one another, and finding a passion then serving others with it,” insists Frye. “Serving others weeds out the stuff that chokes the soul.”

Frye has studied in Italy, London, and Paris. He began seriously pursuing painting at Pepperdine University and continued drawing, painting and sculpting at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Of his time at Pepperdine, Frye recalls “A total freedom to express myself.” Frye’s professor Joseph Piasentin fostered this independence. “I have the utmost respect for the individual and unique way they perceive the world. My desire is to cultivate personal vision,” says Piasentin. Joseph Piasentin, an acclaimed painter, did his graduate work under Nathan Olivera at Stanford University from 1975 to 1977 and became a professor at Pepperdine University in 1979. Piasentin’s work is shown Internationally.

After a hiatus from studying art, Frye met Martha Weinberg who befriended him and later encouraged him to study the fundamentals of art. Like Frye’s late grandmother, Weinberg was a student of Hans Hofmann in New York. “Martha introduced me to a whole cast of artists,” says Frye. “I became invigorated by Watteau for his figure drawings; Delacroix for his ability to render drama (e.g. lion hunts); Degas for his ability to transform everyday moments into masterpieces; van Gogh and Gauguin for their non-naturalistic use of color; Toulouse-Lautrec for his capture of raw characters in action;