Artist Profile

Formative: Born in London England and raised in the island of Puerto Rico, I was exposed to a multicultural and diverse community full of colors and magical anecdotal towns with starlike characters that spiced life with metaphors and allegorical realities. Always exposed to art, music and suffered the luck of attending and suffering a Jesuit education. Arriving in the USA to attend college in Boston, my first venture in to the cultural lifestyle of the Northeast. The vagaries and contradictions I stumbled on were many with sharp edges and dull moments that sharpened a sense of mission and purpose. 

Then by surprise and accident I ended up with a career in real estate finance having served in some of the top banking groups in the Northeast USA. I specialized in the ins & outs of construction lending. Since Banks had to reinvest in the communities they served, by law, I served as a conduit for the Banks to meet their Community Development finance goals. Working with grass roots community groups we were able to assemble some creative financing tools that resulted in affordable housing, retail development and overall wellness for low and moderate income homesteads. 

During this time period i received recognitions from State and City leaders resulting in Commissioner, Director and other accolades. 

Then I watched the movie Radiant Child..... 

Challenges: "Serving a long term career in the world of corporate America is not a smooth road. Potholes arose along the corporate way full of confusing traffic signals often bathed in a light of higher expectations because of race or ethnic origin. So I had to work and focus harder, with highs/low moments that leave imprints in your soul and stamina. For me the corporate cultural experience left me jaded full of satirical notes and arrogance. The career success that short-changed me as a  person was turned around by art.”

After his career in banking and finance, Matos saw a film on Jean-Michel Basquiat and became curious about life on canvas. He began painting around 10 years ago, and now creates 2-3 pieces a day in the studio. 

The work: I mostly work in acrylics on canvas. I also work in mixed media, in the form of upcycled art. I consider myself a process artist, as in, I don't generally begin a painting with a picture of the final product in my head. For me, beginning a painting is beginning a conversation between the artist and their art. The paint brush typically guides me each step of the way. Sometimes a theme, or person, will visit me in a dream, and won't leave me alone until I interpret that into a painting. I’ll know when a piece is finished, when it tells me to stop painting.

The goal with my art is not to become famous. The creative act is simply a driving force, something inside of me that needs to be expressed on a daily basis. "I can’t say what would have happened if I started painting earlier because I did not attend art school or have received any kind of art instruction,” said Matos in a recent interview. He continues: “It came so naturally to me that I got into a whole period of discovery."

Parkville Art Gallery: The conception of this space is credited to artist Miguel Jose Matos, who is the Gallery Director and artist in residence. Since its grand opening in 2024, it has welcomed hundreds of visitors. Open Studio Hartford brought in lots of new faces and business opportunities.

The gallery doubles as an event space. Most notably, a Hartford-based fashion designer rented it as a runway for her annual fashion show. Additionally, a film crew rented the space for their documentary. PAG makes for a creative backdrop for boardroom meetings, bookclubs, and networking meetups. As an added bonus, the events draw exposure to the artists on exhibit.

Parkville Art Gallery has received many submissions from artists and now has a waiting list for further artist rotations. As a sign of good will, PAG does not charge artists a submission fee, or direct fee to display their art. Matos, who recently brought Antony Zito on as Associate Director, curates the list of artists; their mission is to showcase Hartford and regionally based artists.

Tour Location: 1429 Park Street 2nd Floor

Website: https://www.facebook.com/miguel.j.matos.1

Click here to see the 25th Anniversary Video Retrospective produced by CT Public Broadcasting!