As the son of the Founder and Dean of the School of Fine Arts at Florida State University, Matt spent his pre-teen years traveling around the world visiting art galleries and admiring famous original works by the masters. His appreciation for art and its importance stayed with him and became evident as he developed his own skills with brush, ink, wood and ceramics, and in 1992 Matt graduated from FSU with a degree in studio art.
After many years in the metal fabrication and construction design industry, including single-handedly converting a 5,000-square-foot tobacco barn into a modern home for his parents – a task that took him three years and was featured in the Homes section of the Tallahassee Democrat - Matt finally got the opportunity to fully exercise his artistic abilities by being chosen as the apprentice to world-renowned wood sculptor, Mark Lindquist. One piece worth noting was a dinner table the two built which was featured in Architectural Digest and valued at $100,000.
Marriage and children eventually forced him to consider a career choice with more consistent rewards, so in 2003, he set out to start a new saltwater fishing magazine for the state of Florida. It seemed only natural to him that the "fishing capital of the world" should have more than just one statewide fishing magazine, not to mention the total lack of attention given to the lady anglers of the sport. As a long time boat owner and fishing club member since the age of eleven, his love of art is only surpassed by his enthusiasm for the sport of fishing. Hopefully, as Editor-in-Chief of GAFF Magazine, his eye and enthusiasm show through.