Washington Post Interview

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The Washington Post

| The Expert | b2}4\. ia ARTIST | Matt Sesow, 37, paint

GOING SOLO: In 1993, I vas working at IBM. and meta girl who shared a house with some at- ists, One day, they brought out some supplies,

and I started painting and couldnt stop start

ed strategizing ways to pain ful time. Iset up a Web ste, wunasesoucom. I saved up a lt of rmoney.Igot rid of my car, I bought my apart-

‘eat with IBM stock The day T go ldo from dot-com, in 2001, Istopped by CD Warehouse and said, “I want to hang my paintings here.” Tee beenliving off my art ever since, All have to ‘come up with every month isa condo fee, health insurance and some brown rice.

STYLIN' I stared out looking at pictures and trying to paint them. They always tured out realy bizarrelooking: The eyes, the mouth, the teeth were way too big. People iked it. Eventu- ally I started painting things that happened to

‘me: When I was 8 years oi, I vas plying in a field by an airstrip and was struck by a landing airplane. The propeller severed my arm. So I've Painted people missing limbs, people pointing at Someone with di

ART SCHOOL: People put ‘me in this folk-art/ outsider-art group because of the disability and the rawness of my paintings, and because I'm self-taught. But I think “outsider” isa term that's almost like victim art. I want to reset the expec- tations in the art world, so I actively promote myself. I'm my own boss. I'm my own agent. I'm my sales team,

NETWORI When I set up online in 1995, I'd search out sites that showed art and email them saying, “Td love lnk rom you" Idd that prob. ably 800 times. If you do a search on “Sesow” on Google, I'm up to 2,500 hits. I get around 500 in-

‘Thanks, dot-com bust! Layofs allowed Matt Sesow to chase his true passion.

dividuals visiting the site a day. I don't think a sallery is going o get that. ON THE ROAD: I'm always working. When ci- rators ask me to be ina show, Igo. Phad a five day solo show in January in New York, and Ti have a solo show in D.C. at the end of April in Dupont Circle [at Art+Works+Wonders, 2122 P St, NW, Suite 303]. My paintings are pretty in expensive, so anybody can afford a small one, andl do'a sliding scale like the idea of some body paying $4,000 fora large painting and then a college kid buying a ltl thing for 10 oF 20, thus. Better my stuf than a poster

As told to Hicole M. Miller

Curious aout a topi? The Source will hunt down an expert. E-mail theexpertwashpost.com, Please in- clude your name, ety and daytime phone number.

Marr Sesow Artist at work. PAGE3