About the Artist

Artist's Bio

Alice Matthews is a contemporary Chinese brush artist whose work brings together traditional Asian painting techniques and a modern, expressive approach to nature. Working primarily on handmade rice paper and silk, she creates both detailed paintings and spontaneous brushwork inspired by landscapes, wildlife, water, flowers, and the quiet beauty of the natural world.

Alice’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in the tradition of Chinese brush painting, while allowing room for experimentation and personal expression. She works with handmade brushes and pigments derived from natural herbs and minerals, embracing the unique textures, movement, and character of each material.

Her paintings reflect a lifelong fascination with the connection between people and the natural world. Through fluid brushwork, subtle layers, and moments of detail, Alice seeks to capture not simply how a landscape or animal looks, but the feeling and spirit of the moment.

Based in Illinois, Alice shares her work through fine art festivals, exhibitions, and her studio practice. Her original paintings and fine art prints bring a sense of tranquility, movement, and connection with nature into contemporary spaces.

Asian Brush Painting

First comes preparation; traditionally an Asian artist would observe the subject matter and reflect on how they feel about it, bathe while focusing on a natural scene and how they wish to interpret it, then grind and mix pigments to find the colors to portray the natural world.  The pigments I use are made from herbs, flowers, and minerals.  Some of my pigments are rare and precious such as an herb commonly known as Chinese indigo, azurite, turquoise, and gold.  My brushes are hand made from different animal furs which absorb and release pigment and water differently. Rice paper comes in different grades and types; some absorb pigments fast and do not accept multiple layers well.  These grades of rice paper are best for simple styles, while some absorb pigments slower and allow for more layers and more detail.  When pigments are placed on rice paper or silk the material absorbs them inside they cannot be removed nor do they move around like western watercolor.

Oil Painting and the blending of styles

As an adult I learned oil painting.  I have gained a lot of technique, perspective and different styles from western realism, impressionism, and Asian brush painting which I enjoy blending.  Oil painting allows for thicker texture which Chinese brush painting does not allow, but the focus on texture has influenced my Asian brush painting.  There is a greater focus on shadow and light which I enjoy bringing back to Asian brush painting.  Geometry is a big part of realistic western oil painting while impressionism relaxes this and focuses instead on color, reflections and the natural world.  There is a lot of differences when it comes to the distance, perspective, and  geometry between Asian and Western Styles.  Often in Western painting all the lines meet together at a point in the horizon like a science that is taught.  In Asian painting we are taught three distances and perspectives even distance, high distance, and deep distance.  You are then taught to combine these different perspectives so there is not one focal point this encourages the viewers eyes to explore and wander.  When it all comes together you get a unique style in which I enjoy exploring in many of my works.