DC Style Magazine

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, 6:49 AM

DC Style Interview with Matt Sesow (2006)

click image to visit SESOW.COM
From the January/February edition of "DC Style" Magazine:

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

1/5

7/6/26, 6:49 AM

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

DC Style Interview with Matt Sesow (2006)

2/5

116126,6:49 AM

batps:/ www sesow.com/destyle htm

DC Style Interview with Matt Sesow (2006)

DRAWING LINES

Artist Matt Sesow pushes his creative boundaries.

INSPIRED AND EXTRAORDINARILY PROLIFIC, Washingtonian
Matt Sesow is a self taught artist who has sold more than 4,000
works in his short career. Still, the software engineer-turned-
painter isn’t satisfied. If he were, Sesow explains, “I'd be bored.”

“Tve done a lot of thinking about what I want to be doing 20,
30 or 40 years down the line,” Sesow says. “And I fully intend
to keep going at this pace.” Instead of taking a break from fe.
verishly creating, Sesow prefers holing up in a paint-splattered
Washington studio where he often works well into the night
under self-imposed deadlines. Hundreds of his paintings, many
bold and emotionally charged, line the walls of his space.

Sesow, who took up art 11 years ago to impress a girlfriend,
insists on challenging himself with tasks such as completing one
large canvas a day for an entire month, each one inspired by the
headlines of The Washington Post.

The paintings in his 31 days in July series convey the chaos of
the world in angular lines. The compositions—brimming with
distorted shapes and primary colors—grapple with everything
from unrest in Iraq to the Supreme Court. “Rather than sit back
and be an artist who lets the obvious things dictate my inspire:
tion, I wanted to look into the world and the news,” Sesow says.
He confesses that it's a daunting task, particularly when the
headlines are dominated by suicide bombings and terror alerts.
“It's an emotional trip, as well as a creative one,” Sesow says.

His ability to channel painful emotions onto a canvas stems
in part from his own childhood trauma. When he was 8 years
old, a plane that landed near his rural Nebraska home struck
Sesow; its propeller severed his left arm. Over time, Sesow has
expressed this life-changing experience in his art. “I can get re-
ally dark when I need to, but I've taught myself to be comfort-
able with it,” he says. “I walk up to that edge, but I'm very careful
not to fall over

That creative intensity has garnered the interest of both col:
lectors and critics from across the country, though few of his col-
lectors reside in the District. Sesow, whose apartment boasts a
view of the Capitol dome, says he loves Washington because of its
“intellectual discourse and its diversity,” but laments that there's
little support for working artists. “The art sold in D.C. is more deco:
rative, the kind of art that would go well with a couch,” he quips.

Sesow’s canvases would hardly complement floral-print furni-
ture. But the personality behind the art is anything but dark. A po-
lite, affable man with bright blue eyes and closely cropped blond
hair, Sesow chuckles often and appears to be enjoying life.

“Tm living the American dream, really,” Sesow says. “I'm do-
ing something I love, and I'm making a living off it.” Yet when
he ponders his future, it's clear that Sesow is possessed by an
artistic drive that won't stop until he's truly satisfied.

“Tm human, so I know that burnout could happen,” Se-

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

7/6/26, 6:49 AM

DC Style Interview with Matt Sesow (2006)

DRAWING LINES
Artist Matt Sesow pushes his creative boundries
INSPIRED AND EXTRAORDINARILY PROLIFIC, Washingtonian Matt Sesow is a self-taught artist who
has sold more than 4,000 works in his short career. Still, the software engineer-turned painter isn't
satisfied. If he were, Sesow explains, "Id be bored."
"I've done a lot of thinking about what I want to be doing 20, 30 or 40 years down the line," Sesow says.
"And I fully intend to keep going at this pace." Instead of taking a break from feverishly creating, Sesow
prefers holing up in a paint-splattered Washington studio where he often works well into the night under
self-imposed deadlines. Hundreds of his paintings, many bold and emotionally charged, line the walls of his
space.
Sesow, who took up art 11 years ago to impress a girlfriend, insists on challenging himself with tasks such
as completing one large canvas a day for an entire month, each one inspired by the headlines of The
Washington Post.
The paintings in his 31 days in July series convey the chaos of the world in angular lines. The
compositions-brimming with distorted shapes and primary colors-grapple with everything from unrest in
Iraq to the Supreme Court. "Rather than sit back and be an artist who lets the obvious things dictate my
inspiration, I wanted to look into the world and the news," Sesow says. He confesses that it's a daunting
task, particularly when the headlines are dominated by suicide bombings and terror alerts. "It's an
emotional trip, as well as a creative one," Sesow says.
His ability to channel painful emotions onto a canvas stems in part from his own childhood trauma. When
he was 8 years old, a plane that landed near his rural Nebraska home struck Sesow; its propeller severed
his left arm. Over time, Sesow has expressed this life-changing experience in his art. "I can get really dark
when I need to, but I've taught myself to be comfortable with it , he says. "I walk up to that edge, but I'm
very careful not to fall over."
That creative intensity has garnered the interest of both collectors and critics from across the country,
though few of his collectors reside in the District Sesow, whose apartment boasts a view of the Capitol
dome, says he loves Washington because of its "intellectual discourse and its diversity," but laments that
there's little support for working artists. "Me art sold in D.C. is more decorative, the kind of art that would go
well with a couch," he quips.
Sesow's canvases would hardly complement floral-print furniture. But the personality behind the art is
anything but dark. A polite, affable man with bright blue eyes and closely cropped blond hair, Sesow
chuckles often and appears to be enjoying life.
"I'm living the American dream, really," Sesow says. "I'm doing something I love, and I'm making a living off
it." Yet when he ponders his future, it's clear that Sesow is possessed by an artistic drive that won't stop
until he's truly satisfied.
"I'm human, so I know that burnout could happen," Sesow says. "But for now, I'm just excited about what's
next."
-Molly Knight

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

4/5

7/6/26, 6:49 AM

DC Style Interview with Matt Sesow (2006)

on the way to paint in Morocco, January 2006:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PAINTINGS...

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

5/5