All American Boy is a fitting title for Washington DC artist Matt Sesow’s debut Australian solo show. Matt has served his country in the Peace Corps, he has represented the United States in sport and he has worked as a computer programmer for one of America’s corporate giants, IBM. Now the self-taught artist is bringing to the Gold Coast his distinctive high-energy and colourful expressionist style that has been attracting an Australian fan base for the past decade. Matt, who has been painting for more than 20 years, has created about a dozen works especially for his All American Boy show, exhibiting at 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace, between November 15 and December 20.

The self-proclaimed accidental artist, who only discovered painting at the age of 28 years, has sold more than 8000 paintings since becoming a full-time artist in 2001. Sesow said painting has helped with his emotional healing after he lost his left hand as a seven-year-old growing up in Nebraska, the United States, after being hit by the propeller of a landing airplane in 1975. Sesow, who is known for his unique iconic imagery which represent trauma and scars, only knows two ways to paint – loud and quiet. In All American Boy the punk music fan has painted a mixture of loud and quiet paintings – with his art affected by the music he is listening to while working.

The artist is excited to be exhibiting alongside his wife of four years and partner of 13 years, Dana Ellyn.