My practice as an Artist started in the 6th grade. Rather than dutifully copy Mrs. Cook's cursive notes from the blackboard, I bartered with classmates. They made notes for me, I decorated their notebooks with drawings. I continued to focus on Art as my major through school. I was blessed with great teachers. One set me up with a scholarship to a local Art Center and enabled me to go to college where I acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Art. Though SUNY Brockport had an incredible Faculty, they lacked a BFA at the time. Conflicted with vexing questions after graduating, I opted to create a secondhand bookshop rather than pursue a graduate degree. I sold the business after many successful years when I yearned to resume making Art. I realized it wasn't a choice. I have to do it no matter what.

I moved to New Mexico where I've lived for over thirty years. My interest in combining an artistic sensibility with practical utility led me to take up woodworking. While learning the craft on the job and pursuing various custom projects, I combined painted surfaces with sound craftsmanship for speculative creations. My efforts were recognized with several awards and exhibited in galleries. I taught in the Fine Woodworking Department of the Santa Fe Community College for many years. Recently, I've worked with found materials to create assemblage sculptures with an idiosyncratic design aesthetic guided by intuition. I continue to explore and follow my interests to offer artwork for contemplation and enjoyment. I can't help but notice small turns in the world as I move through my day. Could be a graceful line, a juicy color, an inviting surface, a compelling shape or sunlight falling just so on something that captures my attention. I snap these moments as treats of inspiration. My creative practice is centered in the Trapezium, a workspace where no two surfaces are parallel. I'm fortunate to live in a beautiful place steeped in the Arts with a diverse community of kind, amazing people.

LISTEN to an interview with Matthew Chase-Daniels from 2025