By Kristen Botas, Contributing Writer
Art is the biggest statement that can be made without the use of words. An artist can address an issue simply through their work without even saying one word.
The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” comes to be true when looking at work done by Matthew Aguiar.
Senior photography and graphic design double major, Matthew Aguiar, a local from Fairhaven, specializes in portraits and landscapes, as well as surrealism.
Where did his passion for photography claim its spark? Well, fairly recently.
“At first, I took a photography class and I did it just because. I didn’t think it was anything special,” said Aguiar. “It was first about taking photos of flowers but then I took a Photo 211 class at BCC (Bristol Community College) with a Professor David Graves who showed me another photographer, Kyle Thompson, who focuses on surrealism,” which Aguiar describes to be “magical.”
The artist is also inspired by Instagram photographer, Mark Del Mar, as well as Kyle Thompson.
“I could do this all day long … I try to be different. Photography started interactions with different people of different backgrounds,” said the artist about his passion for photography.
Aguiar has a way of capturing the perfect moment and hopes to “show others’ personality” through his photography. He truly can photograph life. Life is real and his “hope to inspire emotion in others” and the “wanting for people to be able to read emotion” is real.
The main reason as to why the artist enjoys photography so much is simple. “Making others have more confidence in themselves makes me feel great,” said Aguiar.
One may ask, what is the hardest part of the job for the artist? “To get the model the most comfortable to get the best photo. Candids are so hard to get if the model is not comfortable.”
“Swim with the Fishes” is a favorite of the artist’s feature candids of model Alexis Paige as she is submerged in a pond literally swimming with the fishes. “It just fell into place while editing,” he said.
“I never think about the money, I think about what I love to do and practice my craft but the hardest thing is the money,” said Aguiar when describing some of the gives and takes of practicing his craft.
The artist’s plans for after graduation you may wonder? “I hope to have a couple of years of traveling to places like Iceland and Ireland,” he said. “Those areas are just unreal and always something new to capture.”
Aguiar one day, in the future after traveling, “dreams to shoot a professional model” or “shoot for a company such as L.L. Bean.”
When the artist isn’t practicing his craft, you can find him at school, staying fit and healthy, going fishing, or somewhere in nature or at work. The artist works for a company called Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative, also known as SMEC, located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
There he works with children who have special needs such as autism and Down syndrome.
Aguiar teaches art classes for the company as well, and describes himself as “one to get inside [their] minds.”
Art therapy has been proven to help encourage self-expression through painting, drawing, and modeling according to the American Art Therapy Association.
Aguiar has had his work previously published in an Instagram magazine named the “Pursuit of Portraits.”
The price for a personal photo shoot with the artist is $150 for 20 photos, all edited. To contact the artist for a shoot or to simply view his work, direct message him on his Instagram or email him with inquires.