The PNW Art Collection and arts from the PNW - award-winning, stunning and powerful captures from the great state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest.
Read MoreThe American Dream - Framed Promises & Fading Walls
The American Dream - Framed Promises & Fading Walls
“I think this divide is the most pressing in our nation’s culture.”
A deeper look at “The American Dream”
Some artworks develop slowly—built over hours of observation, adjustment, waiting.
Others arrive in an instant, fully formed.
This was the latter.
I was driving through central Oregon farmland, a middle-of-nowhere road surrounded by dry fields and sky, when I pulled off near a decaying structure. The walls were covered in graffiti, layers of handprints and cryptic phrases. The roof was partially collapsed. It was chaos—but not without its own kind of order. A visual language had developed there, like sediment from a culture both loud and fading.
Photograph of my friend, Roman, through the windows
And then I turned.
There it was.
A picture window, cleanly framed, showing nothing but open land and soft light beyond it. In front of it: a single sunken cushion on the ground, and the phrase “BE MORE” scrawled faintly above. It hit me hard and fast. A photograph of the American Dream.
That phrase carries so much weight. We grow up hearing it. We build our lives in orbit around it. But this scene made me ask:
Where are we, really, in relation to the dream we’ve been promised?
Because here was a perfectly composed metaphor. A ruined room. A window to peace. A seat left behind. And silence.
It’s easy to imagine many meanings here. Some people will see hope: the dream is still visible. Others will see irony: a dream so close, yet unreachable. Still others might see a kind of resignation. The dream doesn’t live in a house anymore. It’s just an idea—framed but distant.
And then there’s the graffiti.
On the left: “Mute.” A single word that speaks volumes. I think of all the voices today that feel silenced—not just politically, but socially, culturally, economically. Urban voices that drown out rural ones. Rural voices dismissed as out of touch. Suburbs caught in the middle. I think about how loud everything is right now, and how little is really being heard.
On the right: “We Are Paramore.” At first, I laughed at the randomness. But then the lyric came to mind: “We are broken.” And just like that, it wasn’t random at all.
This is not just an abandoned house photograph.
It’s a frame for reflection. A question about belonging, progress, and loss.
I didn’t move anything in the scene. Didn’t step past that cushion. This had already become its own work of art—a layered collaboration between vandals, weather, time, and truth. I knew my role was simply to bear witness. To frame the frame. To give it space to speak.
The American Dream isn’t a clear answer. It’s a provocation.
A question framed in light.
A seat left empty.
And maybe a challenge to see things as they really are before we decide where to go next.
Explore the Piece
The American Dream is now available in my portfolio as a single edition, one of one, fine art print.
➡️ View The Art Work
Bonus: Behind the Lens
I also captured these two black-and-white images from that day—moments before and after this piece revealed itself.
They feel like a record of witnessing, of wandering, of what the Dream looks like from the outside.
Where was The American Dream photograph taken?
In an abandoned building off a backroad in central Oregon farmland.
What does the artwork represent?
It’s a symbolic fine art photograph reflecting on the American Dream—its promise, its distance, and our cultural relationship to it today.
Through Wide Eyes: The Solitude and Scale of Panoramic Landscapes
The vastness, the stillness, the quiet command of nature—it reminds you of your own smallness, but not in a way that makes you feel insignificant. Instead, it offers a kind of peace, an invitation to exist within something larger than yourself.
Read MoreWhy I Create Art
Fine art photographer, Jason Matias shares the deeper seeds of his creativity and a consistent body of work stretching over seven years.
Read MoreMy favorite artworks from 2022
Photographs from Washington to Switzerland; from Iceland to France. Artworks from film and AI, of portraits and the wider world. These are my best works from 2022
Read MoreWelcome to Magical Hawaii
I put thought and effort into finding those moments in Hawaii when the elements seemed to collaborate with me. It was in Hawaii that I navigated my way through the self-work I needed to accomplish. [Photos]
Read MorePNW Photographer Captures Beautiful Things That Are Gone
After five years collecting beautiful scenes in the PNW, photographer Jason Matias started discovering that the places he photographed are disappearing.
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Mount Rainier Captured Under Brilliant Moonlight with Comet Neowise
We turn ourselves into solitary objects hurtling through a space widened by the perception of our isolation. All the time thinking ourselves dull and cold and unseen while the universe observes us in awe of the spectacle we continue to be.
Read MoreOne-of-a-Kind Photograph Captures the Heart of NYC
In order to capture this new and iconic photograph of New York City, I had to find a view in Brooklyn that looked through the bridge. That meant A LOT of time on Google Earth and then a lot of calls to building owners who flat out ignored me
Read MoreI went to Bali to clear my head but all I got were these lousy photos
In April I took myself on a trip to Bali and somehow managed to stay there for the full two months the visa allows despite the banking woes. It was beautiful. Here are the photos to prove it.
Read MoreSeattle Artist Gives A Beautiful TEDx Talk
In this inspiring and humorous talk, Jason Matias shares how he went from Airman to Artist and how those transitions have shaped his life. Jason shares his experiences as he photographed beautiful landscapes that, today, are gone and what it means to him to cherish a memory.
Read MoreThe Art of Selling Art Podcast
F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Photography Podcast
Matt Payne, host of the F-Stop and Listen podcast surprised me a few weeks ago with an invitation to be on his podcast! He had seen a very nice review written by a member of The Art of Selling Art.
I was stoked to say Yes!
So… we had a fluid 90 minutes of discussion on all things on related to the business of art. I enjoyed it immensely and I hope you will, too. Especially if you’re an artist following this blog.
You can listen on iTunes by clicking here or the above photo or you can listen right from this website using the player below. You can also read his thoughts on the interview on Matt’s blog, here.
Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon!
There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers! Your support is critical - it helps with production costs and to improve the podcast over time. Thanks! Even $1 / Matt helps a lot!
Over on his Patreon this week, Matt and I discuss my awesome process for how to find your voice as an artist - which I think is a totally unique and worthwhile process for landscape photographers to embark upon.
Did you enjoy the conversation?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Autumn Colors!
Autumn is here!
I see all the photo bugs out and about chasing color this fall and I love it.
yeah, I know, I typically don’t show too much color in one space but sometimes I do. And…
When I do go out and grab fall colors with my camera I make sure they are as robust as I can get them.
Here are a few of my favorite Fall captures.
“Autumn” Captured in Queens, NY.
Captured in the Kubota Garden. The sun set left cool blue shadows that contrasted wonderfully with these yellow leaves.
I found this collage in upstate New York
Captured in Boardman, Oregon in a forest that is now gone.
Avendasora Leaf - Seattle Japanese Garden, 2017
A Sun Story. 2017. Three weeks of driving on endless back roads for a vision I could only imagine.
If I told you that this tree was only waist high, would you believe me? Scarlet Tree. 2017
You KNOW this collection could not exist without sharing Tree of Fire! Tragically, this beautiful being is gone now.
Avendasora (Tree of Peace)
New Release - Edge Of Solace
Jason Matias Proudly Presents: Edge Of Solace
Edge of Solace
This scene is as much painting as photograph. It is a scene I’ve longed for but never found and, finally, allowed my creativity to rend reality. Edge of Solace is an idea I’ve carried with me for a long time but I feel that it was Seattle and the Northwest that gave me the inspiration and the building blocks to bring it to life. All the elements in Edge of Solace were captured in Seattle and Mercer Island making it a true work of the Pacific Northwest and a statement about my time here.
As I strive to visualize and create this idea of Comfortable Isolation I find myself drawn to water and what it represents: renewal, neutrality, energy. In psychology, the ego is referred to as a pool of energy. Too often, I visit my ego when it is roiling, dry, or as hard as ice. In my meditations, I imagine myself on the shore of my ego and I will it to be vast. The Edge of Solace is my reminder to self to visit here often, to meditate on my experiences, to check-in with my feelings, and to keep this place vibrant and full.
Edge of Solace is an edition of 50 available starting at 60" (1.5m). See more examples of the work and request a quote at www.jasonmatias.com/edge-of-solace
Hanging a six foot Ice Cave
We have to move artwork around to fit new arrivals. The walls in my loft are always in flux but rarely bare.
Read MoreYou're Invited to an Art Event at Sotheby's in Madison Park, Seattle
Luxury is an experience, not a price point.
I love that tag-line from Realogics Sotheby's in Seattle. It applies to art as much as it applies to the beautiful homes they find for their clients. On the 22nd we are kicking off a month-long art exhibit in the Park House on 4031 E Madison Street, Seattle. There will be great wine and eats. I will be showing several pieces including the new Avendasora, pictured below, and Nude 1.
I will be available throughout the month-long exhibit to meet at the Park House and talk about the art. As always, feel free to schedule with me via email or phone 808.321.8643
Join us at The Park House, located at 4031 E Madison Street, on February 22nd from 4-8PM for an art pop-up featuring fine art by Jason Matias! We will be serving small bites and libations and will have a special opportunity to hear Jason speak about his art from 5:30-6PM.
The Last Light Of A Beginning
The first sunset of 2018 at Devil's Punchbowl was an incredible end to the beginning of a new year.
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