Why He’s Interesting: When his ex-wife was murdered in 1998, Matis struck a covenant with God: He would grow out his beard until her murder was solved. The case goes unsolved 18 years later, but as a Catholic lay evangelist, he has used his beard as a paintbrush to create more than 400 elaborate paintings in an effort to spread peace, love and happiness.
Former Lives: As a sexual assault survivor, Matis spent the first half of his life in a whirlwind of abuse, drugs and promiscuity. In 1985, Matis decided to leave it all behind after discovering he and his then-wife, Crystal, were expecting a child. But a divorce in 1987 and loss of custody of his son were followed by Crystal’s murder in 1998. “It’s extraordinary that I’m even alive, let alone survived all this tragedy. My life was never very normal.”
Blank Canvas: To create his abstract works of art, Matis begins by praying then dips his beard into acrylic-based paint. He spontaneously paints for hours at a time, sometimes using more than 20 different colors and modeling paste in one painting. “All of my emotions, my feelings and my thoughts go into the canvas. I never know when to end. It’s as if all my emotions from this beard is transferred to the paper.”
Be Happy: He sells his paintings through a website called Stoned on Happiness and considers himself a jester for Jesus. “The jester is a unique character in history. He was like a fool, but he also reported to the king and queen, so I hang out with Jesus and the Blessed Mother every day — the king and queen of heaven.”
Living Art: Everything Matis wears is symbolic. His jester’s hat is adorned with medals depicting the Blessed Virgin alongside crucifixes, smiley faces and snowmen — a symbol he says is a perfect representation of the holy Trinity because it has three separate parts that come together as a whole. He also has tattered jeans, patched over with ripped American flags, he’s worn every day for the last two years. “I wear everything for a purpose. America is so fragmented. It’s all ripped up, but we can sew it back together.”
Bar Breakthrough: Although he’s been sober for more than 30 years, he still returns to Brubaker’s Pub in Hudson every week to strike up conversations with patrons. “I go there to suffer with these people, because it’s like a funeral in a sense that they’re grieving.”
Cold Case: Matis carries a small tin briefcase filled with Catholic prayer books, newspaper articles, handwritten notes and pictures of his ex-wife as a permanent reminder and testimony for others. “This paints a picture of what I survived through by the grace of God.”
Most Interesting People 2017: Don Matis Jr.
The artist creates bright abstract paintings with his beard.
