Matthew Glick

Claymont

Emerging
Visual Arts: Works on Paper

“The realization that art is actually one very common language has allowed my creative processes to flourish.” — Matthew Glick

The linear content of Matthew Glick’s bold, complex, and highly striking images is creatively grounded in and influenced by his strong body of work in the screen printing industry. Glick is a graphic designer, as well as the owner of a design and illustration company. But he has nonetheless continued to explore the artistic boundaries and expressive qualities afforded in traditional black-and-white printing.

USA Third Edition, 2016, screenprint, 19″ x 25″

The artist has achieved the mastery of his practice through his years of work as a silk screener, print press operator and commercial sign designer and installer, all of which gives him an inordinately solid technical footing for his artistic work as a printmaker. With the knowledge he has gained through working in these disciplines, “I find myself creating constantly.” And since Glick also has a foothold in the working world, this allows his creations to be “unique to my own everyday life stories and yet somehow portray subject matter that relates to most individuals.”

Lately the Allentown native (now a resident of Claymont) has begun to explore a new visual storytelling arc by making descriptive compositions that are more formally laid out. Some of the impetus for this direction can be traced to his early influences that include not only classic illustrators but also MAD magazine, skateboard graphics and comic books, as well as his own desire to explore the narrative form.

Over the past several years, Glick has seen an increase in his commissioned work as well as visibility – he appeared in six exhibitions in 2018 alone. He also recently curated the Midnight Print Society, a screen printing experience and panel that also included 12 other artists.

Although his work has historically been almost exclusively in black and white, Glick has been working recently to expand that stark monochromatic palette by introducing a limited use of color into his work. This direction is something that will be greatly aided by the Division’s Artist Fellowship. He plans to “venture into the world of color by building additional print stations in my home studio,” explaining that “the attempt to evoke emotions through color utilization excites me.” Artist website