Sesow Interview

Full text

Text taken from the saved copy (where a page was only an image, it was machine-read and may contain errors — check against the page image before quoting). Copyright remains with the original publisher; kept for the historical record.

7/6/26, 7:00 AM

Matt Sesow interview, 2005

this page:

Matt Sesow interview with Hill Rag Magazine
by Jim Magner
2005

https://www.sesow.com/hillrag2k5.htm

1/4

116126,7:00 AM Matt Sesow interview, 2005

“ewes?
erDu Eu

oe ty

ARTIST PROFILES:

MATT SESOW AND
DANA ELLYN

‘ove Hurts, Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it pulls you out
of deep purple funk and makes anguish fun again, That's

‘what happened to Matt Sesow: Dana Ellyn. They met at an

art show in’01 and clicked It was the right place and time.

‘Together their art is beginning to take off, but here's the in-

teresting par... since becoming a couple, their individual

identities as artists are actually becoming stronger,

“Love Hurts,” was the name of their first two-person show. Itwas
‘one-nighter at Studio 18, in mid-February. Their next art date is a
longer one, called “Downtown Girl, Uptown Boy.” Itwill be in the Mar
‘in Luther King Library on G Street (2nd floor). ‘The reception is March.
3 and the show runs through the month. Then it’s Ohio and a show
entitled, “Learning to Crawl.”

Both artists use themes almost exclusively as a departure stage for
blastoff. A subject line like “31 days in July” is consumed with a savage
and joyous energy. Matt Sesow and Dana Ellyn drive ideas like nails
through current events. Whatever the theme, they manage to steer lear
of illustration and drill their way to the inner core of fearless almost reck-
less, interpretation.

With Matta lot of personal frustrations are injected into the
picture with the use of line, color and symbols. You can still hear the
savage screams.

Ifs the same with Dana. Her recent work is breaking through an

batps:/www.sesow.convillrag2k5 htm 214

[page 2 machine-read (OCR) from the image]

ww sesowconhillrag

Matt Sesow interview,

inbred reluctance to touch risky topics.
She is peeling away the art school com-
pulsion to make, and hide behind, pret
typictures. “Idon't paint safe anymore.

Matt was born in Nebraska.
‘When he was 8 years old, he ran across.
thesmall town airfield and into the path
of an airplane. He lost part of his left
arm, but survived. Asa young adult, he
“went into computers,” Aftera tour with
the Peace Corps in 88-89, he went back
to his high tech work with IBM.

He started painting in 1993, His
began raw and angry and bit ragged holes

gh the paper with monster teeth

ng eyeballs, ‘Through paint

rama but didn’ kill

a while, things were getting very

dark. He says the disability is not the

center of his art, but "I would probably
not be painting without the accident.”

Matt's workstill bites big holes in the
canvas and the sanctified social order of
the day. Only now there isa greater on-
fidence, with a higher level of sophisti
cation in color and composition. One of
his major works, “ Collateral Damage,”
(89 ft) sabout Iraq. [twill be the ba
drop to 10 shor plays based on the paint-
ing that will be performed in Phoenixin
April

Dana came at art from the opposite
direction. She grew up in alittle town in
Connecticut. Always drawing—quiet—
had support from parents—the ideal
childhood. She started collage at 16 and
‘majored in art. One of her first jobs was
at the Holocaust Museum.

From there she gota job at law firm
as a computer trainer and began teach:
ingarto law students at night. The class
is about therapy as much as anything,
‘else. Now itis her basic income, which
allows her to paint full time.

To Matt and Dana, the joy is in:th
work—10 hours a day, every day: paint
ing, maintaining the web sites...con-
tacting galleries. I's more passion than.
profession. ‘They are bringing their ob:
session to everyone, at all price ranges,
so step into pure passion—go see them,
at the MLK Libra

For more see, www-sasow.com, of
‘wwwe,danaellyn.com.

Jim Magner’s Thoughts on Art
My interviews with Matt Sesow and.
Dana Ellyn, and my review of the film,
“In the Realm of the Unreal,” dropped
mein the middle of outsider art. The
term “outsider” refers to someone with-
‘out formal art school training. similar
to Folk or Naive art. But the genre has
evolved in recent times; the term now
brings up visions of anguished, anti-so-
cial subcultures—brilliant lost souls cre
ating art in abandoned row houses with
no concern for fame or money, the kind
with bizarre tattoos and body piercings.
Henry Darger (See “Review’) is of:
ten called an outsider artist and, in at
least some ways, seems (o fit in. Matt
Sesow has insider outsider credentials,
fer painter, 'm.

[page 3 machine-read (OCR) from the image]

7:00 AM. Matt Sesow interview, 2005

painter” Dana Bllyn paints in the “sp
1” of outsider ar, but can't be one be-
‘cause she has an art degree.

In tuth, “Outsider” has taken on a
‘capital © and has gone mainstream: web-
sites, galleries, agents, magazines...the
whole shootin’ match. “Self-taught” is
the banner—its a matter of pride

‘Outsiders, of course, learn by look-
ing at other artists—we all do. Every art
Schoo graduate sil has plenty to sel

that it encourages
people to make art that shouts about life
and the way things are not always fair. It
doesn't matter that they haven't been to
art school to get the basics: it's Expr
sionism without the craft.

But being self-taught has no higher
‘moral value than taking classes and itcan
become an anchor for artists afraid to
take a drawing class for fear of being,
booted from the unskilled brotherhood.

wonder what Henry Darger would
say. Probably nothing.

fol Col Gs tea): ae) ave ce

batps:/ www sesow.con/illray

[page 4 machine-read (OCR) from the image]