An Artist Reborn — A Collector’s Look at Resilience, Reinvention, and the Philosophy Behind the Work in Fine Art

Art collectors often search for more than visual appeal—they seek narrative, durability, intention, and an artist with a compelling evolution. When it comes to fine art, few contemporary creators embody these qualities as profoundly as Jace Mattson, whose current exhibition at Blo Back Gallery invites collectors into a story shaped by discipline, transformation, and survival. Among many things to do in Pueblo, CO this exhibition has a magnetic power over the viewers eye.

Mattson’s relationship with art began early, on the streets of Chicago—the “City of Big Shoulders”—where she spent her childhood drawing under the informal tutelage of her neighbor, Frieda Davis. She was a painter who worked in oils, but she was more than a technical guide. She became her earliest mentor, nurturing not only her skill but her identity as an artist. Her encouragement formed the foundation for a life in creativity, a foundation that would become all the more crucial decades later.

For much of her career, Mattson was an absolute realist—committed to precision, representation, and the discipline of capturing the world exactly as it appeared. But ten years ago, everything changed. A sudden brain tumor led to emergency surgery, and the event radically altered not only her health, but the way her mind processed images, shapes, and the act of creation itself. Realism slipped out of reach. Abstraction emerged as the new visual language through which she could communicate.

For many artists, this shift might have felt like a loss; for Mattson, it became a reinvention. She describes that time as both disorienting and revelatory. Without warning, she found herself in dialogue with the subconscious, driven to express sensations rather than objects, emotion rather than form. And layered within that experience were the “silent seizures” she endured prior to surgery—episodes in which she humorously recalls speaking with the likes of Picasso, Kandinsky, and even Georgia O’Keeffe.

Jace Mattson, STILL A MATTER OF BALANCE (After Kandinsky) ‐ Watercolor and India Ink ‐ 200 lb. Illustration Board ‐ 15" x 20" x 1.5"

Picasso was bold. Kandinsky—a personal favorite—was a gentleman, always ready with color advice. O’Keeffe, in her telling, was “unhelpful and even rude,” though she forgives her grumpiness as the likely result of being quite dead. While these spiritual dialogues might raise eyebrows, Mattson speaks of them with disarming wit, acknowledging the absurdity while also recognizing the creative spark they provided. In her words: “Although at first blush this makes me sound totally crazy, I really miss those conversations. But I can assure you I am just the regular amount of crazy now.”

Collectors will find that this humor and self-awareness are deeply embedded in the work itself. Mattson paints—and prints, and assembles collages—from a place where vulnerability and vitality intersect. Her pieces are often layered, both visually and emotionally, revealing the inner push and pull of someone who has wrestled with mortality and come out determined to create with full force.

Jace Mattson, FRACTILES ‐ Oil ‐ Canvas ‐ 30" x 30" x 1.5"

Part of what makes Mattson compelling to collectors is the seriousness with which she approaches craftsmanship. Whether she is working on pre-stretched canvas or constructing panels by hand, Mattson is meticulous about process, durability, and structural integrity. She speaks directly to collectors when she says, “When a collector puts out a great deal of money, she should be assured and confident that the work will be a good investment for generations.” Her commitment to archival materials and disciplined technique reflects a respect for the collector’s role as steward as much as buyer.

This upcoming exhibition assembles a wide range of mediums—oil paintings, collages, relief prints, and experimental works that capture the expansiveness of her post-realist vision. Yet despite the variety of forms, the collection is unified by an underlying philosophy:

Art is emotional honesty translated into material.

“Art is bleeding and/or laughing on the inside and covering the canvas with these feelings.”

The result is a body of work that resonates on multiple levels. There are pieces that operate like visual improvisations—gestural, intuitive, alive with color. Others contain a structured tension, evidence of her realist past lurking beneath the contemporary abstraction. Each piece feels like a record of an internal moment, preserving something fleeting yet unmistakably human.

Collectors with an eye for narrative significance will recognize that Mattson’s story is not a marketing angle—it is a genuine chronicle of a life reframed through art. The strokes, the textures, the bold shifts in palette all carry evidence of a hard-won clarity. Near-death experiences, neurological disruptions, and the necessity of adapting her process have carved a path uniquely her own. There is a sense, in every piece, that the work is made urgently, intentionally, and with deep gratitude.

“I work each piece as if it were my last,” she says, “because it may just be.” This is not morbidity. It is commitment. It is the recognition that any moment of creation can be the one that defines an artist’s legacy. And for collectors, that urgency translates into a rare authenticity—art made not for trend or market expectation, but from the uncompromising core of lived experience.

Not all of Mattson’s work will connect with every viewer, and she is fully aware of that. But as she notes,

“Some of what I create will always resonate with someone.”

That resonance is precisely what collectors look for—the piece that speaks, that holds presence, that carries a story within its layers.

As her exhibition remains one of the most magnetic things to do in Pueblo for the month of November, 2025, collectors have the opportunity to experience a body of work born from reinvention, humor, survival, and unwavering dedication to craft. Mattson’s pieces do more than decorate a wall—they express the resilience of a life reimagined, the courage to evolve, and the enduring power of art to translate hardship into meaning.

For collectors seeking depth, narrative, and lasting value, Jace Mattson’s latest work is not just worth viewing—it is worth acquiring.

If you're looking for things to do in Pueblo you can see Jace Mattson's work at Blo Back Gallery all month November 2025. You can also find her more extensive catalog at www.passionfishart.com

Jace Mattson, Hands Collage ‐ Relief Print ‐ Canvas ‐ 24" x 36" x 1.5"