• I am a self-taught artist who is motivated to engage in all parts of the process of creating my work. I have always been drawn to the physical act of engaging with materials and tools. My life long artistic and creative pursuits have maintained this tangible physicality through painting, historic handmade photographic processes, printmaking, letterpress printing, and typography,  

    My photography and other 2-D work is a means to share how I distinctly see and experience the world through intimate and expansive points of view. Over decades of photography, I have learned to trust my process of visually wandering and allow what I capture to distill into the work I want to share. I then compile this into coherent narratives or series surrounding how I perceive and experience natural and man-made spaces. My training as an architect informs the precise construction and combination of these series into a finished book. 

    I am drawn to the dichotomy of trusting my intuitive self while photographing and then engaging with my meticulous self through my book and box structure. The work I do as a psychotherapist is also deeply entwined with my artistic endeavors.  I believe that creativity is inherently part of each of us and can manifest in boundless ways. The end goal of my work is to connect with the viewer in the act of slow, deliberate engagement, and build on an interconnected relationship that can be brought about through the finished piece.

    Bio:

    Matthew Magruder is an artist from Austin, TX with a focus on photography, printmaking, design, and integrating these into his book and box structures. He is also the Art Director with HerbalGram magazine, a licensed psychotherapist, and proprietor of Copelo Press. He studied architecture at Texas A&M University and has a master’s in counseling from St. Edward’s University. He currently serves on the board of the Austin Book Arts Center. He has extensive experience teaching photography, printmaking, and book arts workshops across the country. His work is in private and public collections.

FAQs

A work desk with various metal stamping tools, blocks, and parts surrounding a vintage-style photograph of a whiskey barrel, with a quote from Abraham Lincoln about whiskey.

Who is Matthew Magruder?

I like to make things: Artist's Books — Printmaking — Photogravures — Letterpress — Graphic Design — Alternative Process Photographs — Magazine layouts — Interpersonal connections (see below) — Bread — Beer, occasionally. Lots of things. I also teach a lot of different workshops around Austin. Places like Flatbed and the Austin Book Arts Center (also on the board). Sign up for my newsletter in the upper right corner to hear about upcoming workshops, new art available, and such.

What’s Copelo Press?

I started this imprint in 2023 in order to publish Artist’s Books, commissions, collaborations, printmaking, photogravure platemaking, etc. The name derives from a combo name of two doggos, Coda and Tupelo. They were the best and this imprint name is my small effort at honoring them. If you’re interested in collaborating please reach out as I’m always looking for interesting ways to collaborate.

Worth a visit

Clay Harmon — Keith Taylor — Kerik Kouklis — Bill Schwab — Melissa Wagner-Lawler — Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder — Pie in the Sky Press — Karen Hardy

Mountain Intaglio — Talas Online — Hahnemühle Paper — MCBA — Austin Book Arts Center

A spray-painted artwork of a person wearing glasses and a cap, looking downward, on a rectangular surface with yellow borders, surrounded by black and gray spray paint, with crumpled black and gray paper and a newspaper nearby.

What processes do you specialize in?

I’ve worked in a lot of process over the years. My current main focus is Book Arts and Polymer Photogravure printmaking. I’ve also been regularly making Tintypes since 2006. I also work in numerous other printmaking techniques: linocut/woodcut printing, copperplate etching, etc. as well as a number of photography techniques: cyanotype, platinum/palladium, gum bichromate, and traditional silver B&W.

Wait, psychotherapy as well?

Yes, I’m a licensed psychotherapist (LPC) in the state of Texas. I’ve been doing therapy for over a decade. I focus primarily on individual psychotherapy and couples/marriage counseling. I also enjoy working as a therapist for fellow therapists as well as providing consultation. Read more here and reach out if you’d like to connect.