About Us
Richard Matzkin
I have lived a creative life.
As a child, I was immersed in visual arts. My natural talent earned me awards and scholarships to Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. However, I completely lost interest in art as I began to pursue a career as a jazz drummer, being fortunate enough to have been able to play with some of the jazz and blues greats. Meanwhile, I completed my education in the early ’60s, earned a Master’s degree, and began a career as a psychotherapist and group leader.
I spent years studying with a spiritual master in India and the United States. My interest in art revived when Alice enrolled me in a clay sculpture class. From that day onward I began to produce figurative sculptures with ease and without reference to models or photographs.In the past 12 years, my passion for writing allowed me to become a published, award-winning author.
Richard has participated in numerous one-man and group shows and has pieces in collections throughout the United States. He was also a key artist in a monumental equestrian sculpture in a Ventura County train station.
Richard was honored as a Ventura County artist by FOCUS ON THE MASTERS, where his work was cataloged and archived for future generations. He has also been a member of the OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS since 1994. (Now Retired)
He is a former therapist, men's group leader, Adjunct Instructor in the California Community College system, meditation instructor in the Siddha Yoga lineage, Director of a court-mandated treatment program for domestic violence, and Program Director of a psychiatric hospital.
Richard and Alice were selected by the National Center For Creative Aging as one of 10 Beautiful Minds in a national campaign that celebrates individuals 55 and older who are keeping their minds beautiful (and their bodies healthy).
Alice Matzkin
Born November 18, 1939, into a family of artists and writers, my gift for painting was passed on to me. I have received no formal education in art.
For as long as I can remember, painting and drawing have been my love.
After a 22 year hiatus from painting while raising our son and daughter, I returned with a passion for my paints and canvas. We moved to the country where we share a peaceful and loving life and a beautiful studio.
It is from this inspiring place that Richard and I created the dual award-winning book, THE ART OF AGING: Celebrating the Authentic Self.
Shocked by our aging bodies, we both explored our fear and curiosity about growing older through my paintings, Richard's sculptures, the wisdom of elders, and the written word.
In 2017, the Thomas Fire raged through our valley and sadly burned the storage building that housed most of my paintings and drawings. I feel sadness about the loss, but gratitude for the blissful experience of creating them and meeting such amazing people who allowed me to paint their image. Fortunately, our house and most of our land were miraculously spared.
What followed was a year long period of gestation. One morning, I heard a voice in my head that told me to go into the studio and not to worry about what I was going to paint. After many years of being a portrait artist I was so surprised that I spontaneously began to create abstract art. I call the work PAINTING IN TONGUES: Emanations Of A Quiet Mind.
