Meet Matthew Sir Robertson | Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Sir Robertson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew Sir, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been a creative individual. From a young age, my favorite classes were those that involved the arts—whether that was music, theater, drawing, painting, or performance arts.

As I grew older, I explored various career paths, including training as a chef in the culinary arts, holding a salaried position as a facility supervisor at a multi-million dollar art center, working as an audio/visual technician building sound and lighting systems, and even becoming a life insurance agent for one of the biggest insurance companies in the world.

Though art often took a backseat in my life, I didn’t think much of it until 2021, when I was accepted into my first international art exhibit in Milan, Italy and I started selling my work consistently.

That experience solidified my belief that as long as I bet on myself and put in the work, I could share my art with the world and have it displayed in art institutions globally.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Its taken me over 15 years to get to where I am now as an artist.

From studying, creating, and observing art over the years, I knew that I wanted to create art that is, without question, uniquely my own.

For the first 8 years of my practice, I didn’t feel comfortable showing my art to the world. At that time I still felt that my art was at a student level and I had yet to put in my 10,000 hours.

As of now, I’ve put in more than 20,000 hours into my art practice. I am now able to express myself freely and uniquely through my art in a way that is truly, my own.

The journey has been both rewarding and incredibly challenging. The road to get here has been paved with doubt, fear, solitude, blood, sweat, and tears. Full of sacrifice and accepting that as a small price to become a part of art history. Along the way, I’ve learned just as much about art as I have about myself. I had to tap into a once dormant part of myself so that I could create art free from expectation and comparison.

For a bit more about my art and process here is my artist statement:

I am Matthew Sir Robertson, a contemporary artist born in 1993 in central Virginia, USA. My
work focuses on abstract expressionism, where I aim to explore unseen concepts and provoke
emotional responses. Through my paintings, I strive to engage viewers in a deeper reflection on
abstract ideas.

I work with a variety of materials, including acrylic paints, gel, glass beads, heavy texture acrylic
polymer, gesso, sand, sawdust, and wood chips. Each material is chosen for its unique
properties and contributes to the overall texture and depth of the piece. My technique involves
layering and manipulating these materials to create dynamic, tactile surfaces that engage both
visually and physically.

I use a range of application methods to manipulate these materials, utilizing brushes, drywall
knives, squeegees, putty blades, and other utensils. Each tool is carefully selected to achieve
specific textures and effects, allowing me to approach the surface in a versatile way. This variety
of techniques helps me create complex, multidimensional compositions that invite exploration
from different angles.

I create art as a means of expressing what words cannot convey. Driven by a deep urge to
challenge myself, I aim to explore the limits of possibility through my work. My focus is on
themes of spirituality, the human experience, and collective consciousness.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Downtown has plenty of great places for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. I like Bootleggers or the speakeasy at the trading post for a solid burger and fries. Shoemakers is a great fine dining spot as well as William & Henry.

My favorite breakfast spot would have to be Bacon street bagel. They stay busy so definitely go earlier rather than later.

As far as things to do, there are two theaters in town that hold plenty of events, the Academy (ACOA) and Wolfbane Theater Company. The city is also building an amphitheater to host large touring concerts and events so that is coming in the near future.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Man, there are so many people that have helped me get here or encouraged me to keep going.

A huge thank you to all of clients and collectors for supporting my dream. A huge thank you to my parents and family members for supporting me in my darkest times.

Thank you to everyone that has stopped by my studio in person over the last year.

Last but not least, thank you to Isaac, the brother I never knew I needed.

Website: https://matthewsirrobertson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewsirrobertson/

Image Credits
Isaac Unicano – Masterclipz

Stuart Twery Photography

Matthew Sir Robertson