♦ Art Appreciation Monday! ♦

To get over the Monday blues, I've decided to do an Art Appreciation Monday. On which every Monday (I hope!), I will spotlight an Artist of some sort, whether they are traditional painter/drawer or photoshop artist, or photography,writing, poetry, pottery, crafts or sewing...I'm going to spotlight only the best! :)

Today's artist is Matt Nguyen of Deviant Art!

**Before we start, I ask that you please remember to not, EVER use any of the art from the artists without their consent! If you see something you like- just ask. They will appreciate it!**

I thought we'd start off with a short biography on MattNguyen, so we know and understand the artist a little better! :)

Ariana: What's your name outside Deviant Art? Is Nguyen your surname? If it is how do you say that- it looks really cool.

Matt Nguyen: My name full, official name is "Matthew Đại Dương Nguyen," though I've been going by "Matt" recently.

To explain the name, I'll do it part by part. "Matthew" is because I'm Catholic, and it's highly common to give children saint names. My dad in particular, wanted to have four kids and name them after the four gospels, Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John. He had me and my brother, John.

As for my middle name and last name, those are Vietnamese. In our culture, we usually put the middle name after the last name because it just sounds better that way. My middle name, Đại Dương, translates directly to "big ocean," which also can be seen as the Pacific.

"Nguyen" is a/my surname, yes. It is a very common Vietnamese surname. You can pronounce it "gwin" or "win." The "ng" is a sound most non-native speakers can't pronounce, but you can get close.

Ariana: Are you human/boy/girl?

Matt Nguyen: Well, I'm a male, since most "Matt's" are males.

Ariana: What Country/Planet/State are you from?

Matt Nguyen: I was born in southern United States, but am Vietnamese.

Ariana: Do you have brothers/sisters/only child?

Matt Nguyen: I have one younger brother. He's four years behind me, and though he's stubborn as well as some other things, he is still my brother in the end.

Ariana: Do you have any pets?

Matt Nguyen: No. My parents don't really like them, and I never had the largest interest in them. If I were to get one, though, it'd be a cat.

Ariana: Birthday? 

Matt Nguyen: The fifteenth of May.

Before we continue with the questions, let's see some examples of Matt Nguyen's great work!

My Favourite Matt Nguyen's poem:

*****

Someone Like Me

Sometimes, on a lonely and cold winter night,

I stare up at the radiantly glowing full moon,

And subconsciously, I begin to think to myself:

I wonder if there is a living soul somewhere,

Who is seeing the same beauty that I'm seeing.

Even more so, I long to meet a breathing soul

Who thinks and has the same thoughts as I,

When they see this spherical grandness.

A person like this is out there,

There just has to be, I know it!

It is all about up to whether or not

I will ever meet this amazing person.

Will I meet him or her in my lifetime,

Or will we both be deceased before then?

Is it a male, who will become my best friend,

Or a female, who will become my ultimate lover?

Have I already met this spectacular person,

And have not yet realized?

We will just have to wait and see, won't we?

The time will come when two paths intersect,

Two lives converged, inseparable forever.

But until then, we must be on alert,

Our eyes and hearts opened wide,

For no one knows when this time will be,

Not even the greatest scientist or genius.

The man upstairs might know, but it would be ruined

If he ever told us before it happened,

As this is a life filled with surprises,

And not a predetermined destiny we are condemned to.

*****

I don't know how Matt Nguyen can capture in words the feelings which you feel when you are alone! He not only captures the feeling of loneliness but the beauty of it... And without any elaboration or special details he captures the mood and the soul of his audience!

Another Favourite of mine, is his recent artwork,

Into The Void

The reason, I love this picture is because I think it could go on for an eternity! The swirling colours, with the dark shades of blue on the left and the warm golden colours on the right leading into the white, it's so beautiful to look at- I think it looks like an entrance to another world... :)

Ariana: What inspires you most to write?

Matt Nguyen: The crazy and imaginative ideas get me going. Once I get one, I feel the rush and need to get it out to the world in hopes that they will feel what I did. So in the end, "all that could be" inspires me to write.

Ariana: How do you cope with lack of inspiration?

Matt Nguyen: Well, I just simply take a break to be honest. Sometimes it ends up being longer than I meant for it to be, but something usually gets me back on my feet, whether it be inspirational music, a show, or nature.

Ariana: Do you have a favorite subject to write about?

Matt Nguyen: I write mostly science fiction, emotional stories, and some poems. My favorite is the creative ones, though.

Ariana: When did you decide you wanted to write/be an artist?

Matt Nguyen: It gradually sort of built, as I've been drawing since I was little. Mostly, it was because I didn't want to sing or dance since I'm shy. As for writing, that came freshman to sophomore year of high school, when I wrote a piece for school and really liked it. Now, I want to be able to do it for a living.

Ariana: What would your advice to other writers/artists be?

Matt Nguyen: I'll steal Nike's slogan for this one. "Just do it." There's no harm in doing so. You miss all the shots you don't take, so take them. There's so much you don't know you can do. Also, get help and assistance from others, and try to learn from the best, not be discouraged by them.

Ariana: Do you have any interests outside of writing/art?

Matt Nguyen: Well, I play games sometimes as well as watch television. In addition, I read and use the computer.

Ariana: How do you wind down after writing/art?

Matt Nguyen: I just go back to doing other hobbies or showing my art to others. Eating or sleeping are classics, too.

Ariana: Do you have a favorite food/drink?

Matt Nguyen: The best food is probably spaghetti or pasta, and the best drink is sweet iced tea. Brownies are also nice for dessert.

Ariana: What is your favorite Doctor Who villain/and/character?

Matt Nguyen: My favorite Doctor is Ten, and then Eleven. My favorite companion is either Rory, Amy, or Clara. My favorite villain is the weeping angels, though the Daleks are a classic, too.

I asked Matt Nguyen to pick a favourite of his work, and he sent back,

The Creation Of The Universe (A Creation Myth)

Our story begins on my home planet. It was once a beautiful place, full of life and wonder, until it was stripped down of its resources by the greedy inhabitants that lived there. I could have stopped them if I wanted to, but that was not my duty. So for several millenniums, I watched my planet slowly being destroyed by my own people. The destruction of my planet only got worse as nations fought each other with advanced technological weapons of mass destruction. Soon, a good percentage of the planet's population was gone.

One nation was so desperate for resources that they developed and released a biochemical gas on the planet, one that would kill everything living, except them. Forgetting to protect themselves, the planet's species went extinct within a couple of days. The only thing, or person rather, that survived was me.

I am an immortal, the only one to have existed, at least in my universe. You'll understand more as this tale continues. Barren and deserted, the planet was definitely post-apocalyptic. Going back to my shed, I could see nothing but a desert like landscape for as far as the eye could see. The sky was blue, and so was I. I knew this would happen one day; I had just hoped it wouldn't come this soon.

.......

*****

If you want the rest of The Creation Of The Universe (A Creation Myth), click on the links provided. I would have included all of it, but I think you should go and check out Matt Nguyen's other artwork and written work as well on Deviant Art yourself, because it is definitely worth every second of it! :) So go finish reading  The Creation Of The Universe (A Creation Myth), right now, because it's awesome! :)

Special thanks to Matt Nguyen for agreeing to be the first artist of Art Appreciation Monday, and for letting me post some of his amazing masterpieces on my blog! :) 

*****All the artwork and written work belongs to Matt Nguyen, there are links in blue which will direct you to the originals.**********

DO NOT USE ANY OF THE ARTWORK/WRITTEN WORK POSTED HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!!!!! 

If you want to use some of the artist's artwork or written work, contact him through Deviant Art, here.

Thank you!