ABOUT PUMP TROLLEY

Pump Trolley Atelier is the fabrication studio and maker space of artisan - designer Matthew Ellis.

We are located in absolutely beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

ABOUT MATTHEW ELLIS

Matthew Ellis grew up in metro Boston.

He originally trained in a rigorous traditional multi-year apprenticeship in fine furniture making, woodworking and ancillary traditional handcrafts with the Rochester Folk Art Guild in New York.

He pursued advanced certification & training in museum level conservation, wooden boat-building and historic preservation with the Maine Maritime Museum Apprenticeshop in Bath, Maine.

He holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston.

He also works professionally in New Mexico’s film industry within the art department of major productions, primarily in the fabrication and decoration of movie sets.

Matthew has lived in Santa Fe since 2002.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My continuing aesthetic inspiration lies in handcrafted “outsider” folk toys, a fascination held since my teens. I utilize the disarming accessible language of “play” in my work, as a starting point, welcoming viewers to enter into more intricate social narratives. Adhering to exacting formalist standards, I prefer nuanced subtlety to evoke inquiry and storytelling within each piece as it appears in my continually evolving and populating art toy world.

As an adept joiner and furniture maker, I prefer wood as my primary sculptural medium, allowing for both reductionist and constructive techniques. Recent endeavors have integrated the counterbalancing effects of quilted reclaimed fabric into my work. This offers an opportunity to infuse more amorphous, even unexpectedly lyrical, elements into my sculptures. This synergy between mediums expands artistic possibilities, enriching the narrative depth of my creations and inviting further exploration into the intersection of craftsmanship, materiality, and expression.

Artist CV and resume available upon request