Mateer's work in Akron gallery

The Art Gallery of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron is honoring artist James Mateer of Wellington with a life's work retrospective from Nov. 2 to Jan 2. Mateer's art has been a lifelong passion that began with a set of oil paints that were a gift from his aunt.

When he was in high school he took classes with noted artist Clyde Singer who encouraged him to attend art school. Mateer was accepted to Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, which he attended for two years before transferring to the Cleveland Institute of Art.

After a few years of military service, Mateer used his GI Bill to attain his master's degree in education. For 19 years, he taught in the Midview schools. One of his students was Tom Batiuk, the famed cartoonist who created "Funky Winkerbean." Mateer was also the art coordinator for Elyria schools and was an adjunct faculty member at Baldwin-Wallace.

Mateer's work has been featured in more than 20 exhibitions. He describes his style as a "texturalist," meaning he tries to capture a realistic sense of depth and color in his art. His work isn't overly influenced by other artists but he said his work reflects the Ashcan School, an artistic movement that was popular in the early twentieth century.

Mateer no longer works in oils; his favorite mediums now are pastel chalks, wood block carving, and colored pencils. He is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society that requires him to exhibit his work in at least three shows every 10 years.

Anyone can be an artist, is Mateer's philosophy.

"It's a developed skill," he said. "It's not an innate ability. It's a learned skill that requires practice, practice, practice."