This month’s edition of the “Tip of the Hat” posts! The honor goes to a long time friend and skilled artist who’s helped me out more times than I care to admit, Photographer Matt Gray.

Years ago when I was starting college, I naively thought very little of the creative aspects involved in photography.  I mean, its picture taking.  Anyone with fingers can take a picture, how could you consider that art (seriously, that’s how I thought. College freshmen are so pretentious).

I then met Matt Gray and had the opportunity to witness some of his work. To this day, I still don’t understand it, but the man is a master of the craft. Not that I could even do it justice in describing it, but there’s no doubt he’s able to see things in a way very few people do. Where I see people, landscapes, buildings and cars, he’ll see lights, shapes, movement and who knows what else all connected in a scene. And furthermore, he knows how to catch it.

Naturally, when the time came that I decided to put together albums, I knew exactly who to commission for an album cover.

Both the completed “Life’s Too Short to Worry” and demo/in progress “Ready to Fall” had their covers conceived and created by the mind and work of Matt Gray.

Jealous? You should be.

While photography is his main line of work, Matt is also more than adept in painting, print making and other realms of the visual arts. He recently put together a website of some of his works.

http://matthewmantegray.com/index.html

On whole, for as long as I’ve known Matthew Mante, he’s been an upstanding person, an endlessly skilled artist, and a master of photography. I gladly tip my hat to Mr. Gray, thank him for all that he’s contributed in the progress of my music and wish him the best in all his works.