My pieces incorporate people and other subjects in settings that create a surreal narrative. My imagery is influenced by actual and subconscious experiences that I often distort in a way that asks questions about the human condition. Mystery, desire, and humor are just some of the elements I include within my work.
Education
1993: B.F.A. in Painting, Cornish College Of The Arts, Seattle, Washington
Solo Exhibitions
2010:
Cattywampus, Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008:
7-inch Prints & Other Works, Wall of Sound, Seattle, WA
2007:
Northwest Coast Invasion, Wishing You Were Somewhere Else, Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005:
Paintings and Prints, Priceless Works Gallery, Seattle, WA
2004:
The Freaks Come Out at Night II, Aron Packer Gallery, Chicago, IL
2003:
The Freaks Come Out at Night, Atelier 31 Gallery, Seattle, WA
2001:
Fly, Float, and Fall: New Paintings, Eyre/Moore Gallery, Seattle, WA
1999:
Paintings, Black Lab Gallery, Seattle, WA
1996:
Paintings, MIA Gallery, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibitions
2009:
"Ce n'est pas un spectacle de caractères." (“This is not a print show.”), Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago, IL
Old School, Jack The Pelican Presents, Brooklyn, NY
Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, Seattle, WA
Art Night, Twilight Artist Collective, Seattle, WA
Hate & Haste, Pots Gallery, Seattle, WA
2008:
Personal Narratives, Davidson Contemporary, Seattle, WA
2007:
Bridge Art Fair Miami, Packer Schopf Gallery, Miami, FL
Place, Seattle Art Museum Gallery, Seattle, WA
Artist Trust: 20 Years, Seattle Art Museum Gallery, Seattle, WA
Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Fenix Performance Arts Center, Seattle, WA
2006:
Artist Trust Grant Recipients, Chase Gallery at City Hall, Spokane, WA
Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Consolidated Works, Seattle, WA
2005:
Art Chicago, Aron Packer Gallery, Chicago, IL
RECORD: Cornish College of the Arts Alumni Exhibition, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
2004:
From East to West, Gas Art Gallery, Turin, Italy
101 Ways to Remove a President from Power, Center On Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
Rosso, Atelier 31 Gallery, Seattle, WA
2003:
Cornish College of the Arts Alumni Exhibition, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA
2002:
6 Pack, Vital 5 Productions Gallery, Seattle, WA
Holiday Show, Ace Studios Gallery, Seattle, WA
Exquisite Corpse, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Seattle, WA
Wading The Waters, Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, WA
New Artists, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID
2001:
Paintings, Woessner Alumni Gallery, Cornish College Of The Arts, Seattle, WA
Holiday Group Show, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID
Fundamentals, Eyre/Moore Gallery, Seattle, WA
2000:
Snapshot, Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD
Dogs of Medina, Vital 5 Productions Gallery, Seattle, WA
New Faces, Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham, WA
Northwest International Art Exhibition, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA
Corporeal, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA
1998:
Seattle Collects Seattle: Selections From the City of Seattle Portable Works Collection, Seattle, WA
1997:
True Art: Tacoma Art Museum Biennial (Juried by Donald Roller Wilson), Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
They Came Here First: UFO Inspired Imagery, Center On Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
So Long Salon Show, MIA Gallery, Seattle, WA
1996:
The Narrative Impulse, Seattle Art Museum Sales/Rental Gallery, Seattle, WA
Northwest Annual Juried Exhibition (Juried by Greg Escalante), Center On Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
1995:
Aviary, MIA Gallery, Seattle, WA
1994:
Seattle Arts Commission Visual Arts Award Show, Metropolis Gallery, Seattle, WA
Kirkland Arts Center Annual Juried Exhibition, Kirkland, WA
Pacific Northwest Annual Juried Exhibition (Juried by Buzz Spector), Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
Awards
2005: Artist Trust GAP Grant Award
2000: Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship
1994: Seattle Arts Commission: Portable Works Collection Visual Arts Award
Bibliography
2005:
Hackett, Regina. "'Crime Scene' Investigates Noir Fantasies," Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 25 November
Faigin, Gary. The Beat: Rich Lehl & Matt Sellars at Priceless Works Gallery. KUOW 94.9 Public Radio. 16 June
2004:
Catalani, Stefano. "From East to West: International Galleries Portraits," Gas Art Gallery: Turin, Italy Exhibition Catalogue. November
Farr, Sheila. "Reward Offered for Stolen Painting," The Seattle Times. 29 September
Hackett, Regina. "Anti-Bush Artists Trumpet Their Political Views in a Trio of Shows," Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 6 August
Workman, Michael. "Freak Show," New City Chicago. 5 August
Gehring, Kristin. "Night walking in Valparaiso, natch," Chicago Journal. 15 July
Kangas, Matthew. "Making Their Mark at Cornish, in Seattle, and Beyond," The Seattle Times. 14 January
Hackett, Regina. "Atelier 31 Gallery Exhibit Has 13 Artists Seeing Red," Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 13 February
2001:
Kangas, Matthew. "Three Artists Explore Dark Side of the Light," The Seattle Times. 21 September
Hall, Emily. "Gravity Be Damned," The Stranger. 27 September
2000:
Margeson, Doug. "The Dogs of Medina," Eastside Journal. 4 December
1997:
Sellars, Beth. "Seattle Collects Seattle: A Ten-Year Retrospective of the Seattle Artists Program," Seattle Arts Commission Exhibition Catalogue. October
Hackett, Regina. "It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's Alien Art...at COCA!" Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 30 June