Matthew Sweesy’s paintings form a visual language in which vibrant colors, thick impasto brushstrokes, and uncanny compositional elements coincide to draw the viewer into an intimate space within the lure of abstraction. Frames made of various sizes of wood strips are often painted and become part of the overall composition which generate a sculptural object or construction. This built space offers a timeless portal for the viewer to immerse themselves into as layers and techniques suggest a history which is unique to each individual viewer.
Sweesy draws from a myriad of sources while entering the process with a freedom of mark making and spontaneity. The translation of his painting process into a series of monoprints allowed for new techniques to enter his repertoire as the offset lithography press became a painting tool in which to construct a composition with limitless variables. Sweesy painted directly on aluminum plates and was able to adjust, add, and reconfigure variations of compositional starting points. Circular forms reminiscent of ink rollers and gears find their way into the forms suggesting machinery and clock gears as the images reference the process of their making while forming a relationship to an organizational presentation of information such as story boards and musical scores.