Matt's work is primarily figurative, mostly painterly narratives found through the process of painting and drawing. He has worked from observation and nature for many years and many of his paintings join life drawing with imagery drawn from imagination. These paintings filter his long term interest in rural life using imagery drawn from direct observation, with contemplation of perspectives and experiences often marginalized by urban and mainstream culture. The places conjured in these paintings are both haunted by the past and threatened by the changing world of the present.
Matt Blackwell received his BFA(Portland School of Art, Maine), and MFA from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC and participated with the Skowhegan School. Blackwell received a Purchase Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2006) and his work was included in the 2013 Maine Biennial and is currently in “Modern Menagerie”. Fellowship residencies include Yadoo; Sculpture Space in Utica, NY; Vermont Studio Center; Triangle Arts Association. Blackwell has had six solo shows with the Edward Thorp Gallery, New York. He shows with Greenhut Gallery in Portland Maine. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015.