The Colorful World of Matt Long
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Posted By: Rachelle Papillon-Amblard on March 27, 2024 In the art scene, boundaries are meant to be pushed, conventions challenged, and creativity unleashed. Meet Matt Long, a visionary artist whose canvas knows no border. From a canvas to a trunk through surfboards, Long is not afraid to expose his art on unconventional mediums that defy expectations and redefine the very essence of art all around the DMV ( District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia). At an event, we had the pleasure of meeting Long, whose brush dipped not only in paint but in colorful ingenuity. Long’s eyes are focused on the circulatory shape he is making, following precisely the brush dipped in radiant pink paint. After finishing the movement with an assured hand, he steps back. His head tilts slightly to the right as he dips his brush in the paint. Gradually, he approaches his work in progress, adding colors next to the area he had previously painted. To reach this spot, he has to bend down. But what does he paint that requires him to contort his body in all directions? Long is painting a car at the "Art in Motion" event during the Washington DC Auto Show on January 19-28, 2024. He collaborated with brands like Sheetz, The National Cherry Blossom Festival, as well as the show, creating all kinds of merchandise, apparel, automobiles, trucks, and regular fine art. During his collaboration with The National Cherry Blossom Festival, he designed posters, tote bags, limited edition metro cards, and even a chair in the shape of a cherry blossom along with 24 other local artists. The chair is located at the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus, Dogwood Plaza in Washington DC. He also has other public installations around the DMV including murals, and sculptures. As part of 8 artists of the “City Beats!” art project in Hagerstown, Md., Long created a unique and colorful visual on vinyl. He said that it was: “A small but fun and vibrant project”. He also collaborated on a surfboard: "That's been really fun thinking of the context of a surfboard and working with a surfboard shaper and how you might wrap your art of the board and the processes to do that." Long made his way as a multimedia artist and graphic designer based in Frederick, Md. His passion for art and creating unusual mediums began during his childhood: " I've always been into art since I was a very young little guy. (…) And it was just something I always gravitated towards." Long describes his artwork as: "always evolving,(…) it's vibrance, it's got a lot of energy. It's happy, it's fun, it's busy, it's kind of popping sunning, (…) it's very colorful and fun." His influence on his artistic production is found in the fresh air, "I am a big outdoors guy. I love nature and I love the surf and the ocean and the sun." Music deeply inspires him as well: "I love music, so you'll see a lot of music-inspired graphics and symbols in my work." Long is experimenting with different approaches to his creative projects: "It's kind of really cool how i ended up in the world of painting and designing automobiles and trucks and tractor trailers and stuff because it's a fun format of sculptures. I'm thinking in two dimensions versus a car or a sculpture, I think in three dimensions (…) how I wrap them or apply them to the format." Less conventional are his artistic journeys: "(I) had my art on the side of the tractor-trailer, It was really cool … actually see the work publicly and then seeing that artwork drive all over the DMV region". Though he uses many mediums, painting remains his favorite: "Painting is like hands-on, it's good therapy making a mess. It's just really freeing and, awesome." Long is now focusing on his own art brand and style and commercial illustration while his future goals are to open a gallery or a storefront where he could create and sell fine art, custom surfboards, and many other unusual pieces. He said: "I think it's to continue to be about sharing my art with the world and just seeing how far I can go.". By Rachelle Papillon-Amblard If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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