Within the work of illustrator Matthew Woodson are the quiet moments of relationships. Woodson puts a thoughtful eye on the internal subtle shifts of love and the connection that holds two people together. He captures the knowing glance that says, ‘I’m only here because I have nowhere else to go.’ The kiss that speaks, ‘don’t ever leave.’
Woodson’s compositions pull you in close to the subject. You can smell her breath. The sweat in the air. His illustrations are able to convey what a novel does best — they enter the monologue of a narrator, unloading the major emotions that line our bones when we are at rest.
His editorial work for the likes of The Atlantic and New York Magazine put an emphasis on the heart of the material — his illustrations don’t show the full story, beat by beat, but the humanity that makes it alive.
The illustrations almost have a “mouth-feel”! The palettes have a flavor…