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GREENVILLE NEWS JUNE 2019
Artist Matteo Miles is bringing life to blank wall at downtown Greenville hotel with mural
Lauren J Young Greenville news
June 19 2019
Matteo Miles has looked to make a lasting mark on Greenville, and as he completes a downtown mural depicting the then and now of the city, he will.
The 24-year-old artist from Southern California, who has called Greenville home for the past seven years, is pleased to have his work be a permanent part of his community. After being approached by the Hyatt Place hotel at 128 E. Broad St. in November, the Aloft bartender, who also works at Woodlawn Memorial Park funeral home in Greenville, was excited about the opportunity.
After going through the permit process with the city in March and getting approval for his design, Miles was ready to work. He said the city was almost hesitant; they didn't want another mural with a "focus on the Liberty Bridge."
Miles said he's been inspired by murals he's seen in other cities like Charlotte and Atlanta. He would like to bring more of the street art to Greenville.
SHARE GVL MAY 2019 - WYATT STEPHENS
How long have you been in Greenville? I have lived in Greenville for about nine years after leaving the recession period in California.
Once Greenville got a Forever 21 I knew that its growth would be spectacular.
Most interesting fact about you: I enjoy attending school and studying several types of science and biology.
I also enjoy doing at-home lab dissections and preserving specimens.
Your background: I was born and raised with my family in Southern California.
Southern California is expensive and congested now, but the weather is worth it of course. And aside from fires and earthquakes, I’m always up for the challenge again.
Currently reading or watching: I am currently watching Netflix’s original series, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and episodes of ‘Friends’ that I’ve seen more than my actual friends. Current book I am reading is the unapologetic poet Tommy Pico in ‘Junk.’
Hobby: Drawing, painting and sculpting. I love adapting myself to new concepts and techniques in each piece of work I do. I can’t imagine painting the same thing for the rest of my career, no shade.
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GREENVILLE JOURNAL 2018
“I update the murals about once a month and completely redo them with the seasons,” he says. Miles, who says he has always had a passion for art, never expected to work with chalk murals or in hotels, but he is always hungry for the next project, whatever it might be.
At 23, he has lived in Greenville for about nine years since his family moved from Southern California, after watching an episode of HGTV’s “Flip This House” and thinking it looked like a nice place to live.
In addition to working with Aloft on its unique wall art, he helps with window art at Paw Paws USA, Blueberry Frog, Yee Haw Brewery, Cantina 76, and other places around town. He does his own tattoo art, as well as pet portraits.
He will be completing his first exterior mural, which will focus on Greenville’s history and legacy, on the outside of East Broad Street’s new Hyatt Place hotel, which is set to be completed in January 2019.
“I feel like I don’t have a niche that I consistently do; I just enjoy painting all types of things. Oil paint on canvas and panel is one of my favorites, and then chalk and pastel,” Miles says. “I’ve been trying to build singular collections that focus on one medium and one concentration.”
Miles also boasts another unique interest. He is in school studying to be a mortician. While the two careers may seem to have little in common, he thinks otherwise. “I think arts and sciences merge well. I always grew up drawing out of anatomy books,” he says.
He has been able to bring art into that world, as well, as he has painted portraits of loved ones who have passed away. Miles finds a way to integrate his love for art into anything he is doing, and he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
“There’s this scene in ‘Big Eyes’ where [Margaret Keane] is just painting up in the attic, painting on canvas and drinking her tea, and that’s just the goal for me one day. That would be really amazing working as a full-time artist,” Miles says.
As he continues his schooling as a mortician, he will transition to learning about forensic pathology, and working as an artist the rest of the time.
“Art is the lifetime,” Miles says. “Mortician and forensic pathology is amazing, but I won’t let art as my passion take a back seat.”