Folk Art Finder — article feature by Beverly Kaye, Vol

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Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.

Folk Art Finder — A Quarterly Folk Art Newsletter
Vol. 18 No. 1 Jan-Mar, 1997 — ISSN 0738-8357 — WINTER 1997
[Cover caption:] Queens After Bathing, Nek Chand. A section of Nek Chand's Rock Garden, Chandigarh, India. Figures clothed in bangles and human hair. (See page 5).

[Page 18]
MATT SESOW
By Beverly Sue Kaye

[Caption:] Out of a Wheelchair and into Detox, Matt Sesow. Oil on cardboard, 30x40. Courtesy Beverly Kaye.

To see Matt Sesow's paintings is to share in a bit of his reality. A landing airplane hit and severed his left arm at the age of eight, forcing him to become right handed. The physical and emotional pain of the trauma has left a clear mark on Matt's work. In 1994, at the age of 28, he began painting. His titles, such as "Painting by Remembers," "Lost Luggage," "Alone in Death," "Sucker Punch," and "Waiting for Coagulation," are more than subtle hints of the turmoil he has experienced. He views painting as a way to communicate his emotions and experiences in an immediate and powerful manner. He talks of "punching" the paint on his surface, and the turbulence it creates grabs at the viewer, never quite letting go. Blood red backgrounds, angry and averted orange eyes, heavily outlined figures not able to stay within the confines of the canvas, are hallmarks of his style.

Matt also writes short stories and poems, all of which appear in lower case characters. He finds it easier not to use capitals, as it takes a second hand to push the shift key.

He writes, " people are sometimes very frightening to me. i paint what i think the subject might be thinking about me. faces, a hand, and mouths are very expressive, but it all comes together in the eyes. everyone i paint stares me down as i create them, challenging me to fail."

Matt grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and has since moved to a tiny one bedroom apartment in Washington, DC, where he paints all day. He uses oil on canvas and cardboard. Paintings range in size from notebook-sized pages to 4 x 5 foot canvases. His subject matter is always the human form, often in a state of anger, confusion, or loneliness.

Full text

Photographed by Matt Sesow from his press packets, October 18, 2026; text transcribed from the photos by Claude.

MATT SESOW
By Beverly Sue Kaye

[Illustration] Out of a Wheelchair and into Detox, Matt Sesow. Oil on cardboard, 30x40. Courtesy Beverly Kaye. [painting signed "Sesow 96"]

To see Matt Sesow's paintings is to share in a bit of his reality. A landing airplane hit and severed his left arm at the age of eight, forcing him to become right handed. The physical and emotional pain of the trauma has left a clear mark on Matt's work. In 1994, at the age of 28, he began painting. His titles, such as "Painting by Remembers," "Lost Luggage,"

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more than subtle hints of the turmoil he has experienced. He views painting as a way to communicate his emotions and experiences in an immediate and powerful manner. He talks of "punching" the paint on his surface, and the turbulence it creates grabs at the viewer, never quite letting go. Blood red backgrounds, angry and averted orange eyes, heavily outlined figures not able to stay within the confines of the canvas, are hallmarks of his style.

Matt also writes short stories and poems, all of which appear in lower case characters. He finds it easier not to use capitals, as it takes a second hand to push the shift key.

He writes, " people are sometimes very frightening to me. i paint what i think the subject might be thinking about me. faces, a hand, and mouths are very expressive, but it all comes together in the eyes. everyone i paint stares me down as i create them, challenging me to fail."

Matt grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and has since moved to a tiny one bedroom apartment in Washington, DC, where he paints all day. He uses oil on canvas and cardboard. Paintings range in size from notebook-sized pages to 4 x 5 foot canvases. His subject matter is always the human form. often in a state of an-

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