The colorful world of Matt Long
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 essence of art around the DMV ( District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia).
At a recent event, Long is painting, and his eyes are focused on the circulatory shape he is making, following it precisely with 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 again. 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 Jan. 19-28, 2024.
This is not his first experience. He’s also collaborated with brands like Sheetz and The National Cherry Blossom Festival, creating all kinds of merchandise, apparel, automobiles, trucks, and regular fine art. During his partnership with The National Cherry Blossom Festival and 24 other local artists, he designed posters, tote bags, limited edition metro cards, and even a chair in the shape of a cherry blossom. The chair is at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus, Dogwood Plaza in Washington, DC. He also has other public installations around the area, including murals and sculptures. As one of eight artists in the “City Beats!” art project in Hagerstown, Md., Long created a unique and colorful visual on vinyl. He said it was “A small but fun and vibrant project.”
He also collaborated with other artists on a surfboard. “It’s been really fun thinking of the context of a surfboard and working with a surfboard shaper and how you might wrap your art around the board and the processes to do that.”
Long is a multimedia artist and graphic designer based in Frederick, Md. His passion for art and creating unusual mediums began during childhood: ” I’ve always been into art since I was a very young little guy. (…) And it was just something I always gravitated towards.” He 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 influences are found in the fresh air. “I am a big outdoors guy. I love nature, the surf, the ocean, and the sun,” Long said. 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 these days: “It’s cool how I ended up in the world of painting and designing automobiles and trucks and tractor-trailers 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. (I) had my art on the side of the tractor-trailer; it was cool (…) 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 commercial illustration. One day, he hopes to open a gallery or a storefront where he can create and sell fine art, custom surfboards, and many other unusual pieces. “I think it’s to continue to be about sharing my art with the world and seeing how far I can go.”
By Rachelle Papillon-Amblard
