Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow

“The Birds and the Bees: A Swarm of Recent Paintings by Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow” 

April 18 - May 20, 2012
Opening Reception, Saturday April 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Live music by Demivolt and Walker Road


Dana Ellyn
“I’m not sure if I paint in my pajamas or sleep in my clothes,” says Dana Ellyn, who is consumed, delighted and absorbed with the process of painting. Art is her way of telling stories with themes as varied as mythology, religion, feminism, politics and the American Dream.  Dana’s paintings are at once playful, morbid, endearing, ironic, menacing, and intoxicating. All of these emotions are released as a liberation in her work. She plays the role of social realist, caricaturist, satirist and expressionist in her visually arresting canvases, often referencing artistic and cultural motifs as varied as Alfred Hitchcock, Picasso, Fairy Tales, Mexican Folk Art and Charlotte’s Web.

Matt Sesow
There is a lexicon of iconography to the work of Matt Sesow. Bunnies, breasts, scars, airplanes, teeth, angels and dogs all recall an aspect of the artist’s past and emotional life. His work is authentic and humanistic, referencing the ideas of artists such as Jean Dubuffet, Keith Haring, and Jean Michel Basquiat, in the style of Art Brut. Matt paints to make visible his inner turmoil, social commentary and pure pleasure of expression.  The allegory in Matt’s paintings evolve from his own personal trauma and his many travels through countries such as Spain, China and Costa Rica. Matt is a self taught painter who uses his art for both political expression and to convey the suffering of the disenfranchised. HIs paintings are powerful, savage and intuitive.

Adah Rose Gallery
3766 Howard Ave
Kensington, Maryland 20895
http://www.adahrosegallery.com

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