Leafing through Matt Oliver’s extraordinary portfolio, the viewer is immediately met with a fundamental thematic contrast. At first glance, it seems he either likes to take big, wide, sweeping views of the Peak District, or he likes to get right up close to the complexity and variation of the woodlands that are such a feature of his chosen subject. As with many landscapers, there are excursions into other areas such as monochrome and semi-abstraction, but for the most part the top line is that Matt’s all about views and trees.
Go a level deeper and there’s a subtlety and sophistication that speaks of a master at work. He says he likes to break down the two main themes into smaller projects, which is where the magic really starts to happen.
You can read Nick Smith’s interview with Matt Oliver in OP 319