31 Days in July : Matt Sesow

Click on an image to view the painting's detail.

This page: The "31 Days in July", by Matt Sesow: 2011. The eighth year of the project
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Endless War and Occupation"

31 Days in July 2011, july 1st
inspired by: Six wars during obama admin (libya, somalia, yemen, afghanistan, pakistan, iraq)

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
back of the canvas.
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Man With a Bird"

31 Days in July 2011, july 2nd
inspired by: Venezuelan leader Chavez undergoes medical treatment for cancer. sparks power struggle.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
back of the canvas.
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Flotilla"

31 Days in July 2011, july 3rd.
inspired by: Flotilla from america delivering letters and humanitarian aid to occupied Gaza is held up and stopped from leaving Greece by pressure from the Obama administration/hillary clinton.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
back of the canvas.
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Killer Bees"

31 Days in July 2011, july 4th
inspired by: Libyan leader ghadaffi threatens to take revenge on europe, like bees and locusts

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
matt sesow selftaught artist

"The Founding Fathers"

31 Days in July 2011, july 5th.
inspired by: 4th of July, declaration of independence, the constitution and revolutionary war.

acrylic on unstreteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Rude Awakening"

31 Days in July 2011, july 6th.
inspired by: twin bombings in Iraq kill at least 35, story doesn't get mention in most top main stream news, "Arab Awakening/Spring"

acrylic on unstreteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Twittering"

31 Days in July 2011, july 7th
inspired by: President Obama hosts twitter-based news conference

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Dalai Lama, with Hovering Buddha"

31 Days in July 2011, july 8th
inspired by: Dalai Lama visits washington, dc. china opposes visit.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Turnabout is Fair Play"

31 Days in July 2011, july 9th
inspired by: ATF found to be sending illegal guns to mexican drug gangs to be 'traced'. same guns used in killings and tracking lost. US border protection agent killed with two of the guns supplied by the ATF.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"

*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Underdog"

31 Days in July 2011, july 10th
inspired by: South Sudan becomes a new country, problems it has had it labeled as 'underdog' in news reports.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Angus (with japanese cesium)"

31 Days in July 2011, july 11th
inspired by: radioactive cesium found in the beef/meat that people eat from japan.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"All You Can Eat (peas and sacred cows)"

31 Days in July 2011, july 12th
inspired by: president obama says it is time to 'eat the peas' and some sacred cows must be cut to get debt ceiling agreement with republicans.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Noxious Fish"

31 Days in July 2011, july 13th
inspired by: the spill of approx. 42,000 gallons of oil in Montana in the yellowstone river, as well as the mississippi attorney general suing the obama administration regarding lack of transparency regarding the denial and delay in payments to people effected by the bp oil disaster.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Trickle Down"

31 Days in July 2011, july 14th
inspired by: the 'debt ceiling' talks... the worship of reagan's failed 'trickle down' theory of economics, the painting by sue coe 'butcher to the world', and some soviet propoganda posters...

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Empty Bottle"

31 Days in July 2011, july 15th
inspired by: betty ford passing.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Bohemian Owl (in grove )"

31 Days in July 2011, july 16th
inspired by: bohemian grove meeting begins in california. moloch the owl god

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Game of Chicken"

31 Days in July 2011, july 17th
inspired by: arguments between republicans and democrats over debt ceiling called a 'game of chicken'

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Birthday"

31 Days in July 2011, july 18th
inspired by: international nelson mandela day and his birthday
*SOLD
oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Buste de femme, with flotilla attempting to reach collectively punished bunnies."

31 Days in July 2011, july 19th
inspired by: picasso painting buste de femme arrives in Palestine, flotilla boat providing aid to palestine boarded by israel, casey anthony takes news focus in july

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Sly Fella"

31 Days in July 2011, july 20th
inspired by: rupert murdoch testifies in front of british parliment re: illegal phone hacking/taping of citizens and 9/11 victim's families for 'news of the world' articles

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"The US Space Shuttle Program"

31 Days in July 2011, july 21st
inspired by: final space shuttle lands safely today, ending the US space shuttle program.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Oslo"

31 Days in July 2011, july 22nd
inspired by: lucian freud (painter) passes. 7 people + many more vicitims of bombing in Oslo Norway.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Gang of Six"

31 Days in July 2011, july 23rd
inspired by: 'gang of six ' representives come up with 'cut cap and balance' plan to solve debt ceiling problem, didn't pass.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Bipartisan"

31 Days in July 2011, july 24th
inspired by: democarats and republicans attempt to come up with solution to debt ceiling/deficit, but not working together. tour de france is won by australian for first time

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Kabuki Theater"

31 Days in July 2011, july 25th
inspired by: many reports that democrats and republican plans for debt/deficit seems pre-determined

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Kick in the Can (down the road)"

31 Days in July 2011, july 26th
inspired by: some debt reduction plans are deemed as just 'kicking the can down the road' , also insp. by 'cut, cap, and balance' plan

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Bunny Selector"

31 Days in July 2011, july 27th
inspired by: plan to close 1 in 10 post offices in the usa

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Donkey"

31 Days in July 2011, july 28th
inspired by: rep. boehner tells other reps. to 'get their ass in line'

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Detached"

31 Days in July 2011, july 29th
inspired by: debt ceiling legistlation drags on before aug 2nd deadline, boehner is detatched from his caucus... dc govt. seems detached from americans
*SOLD
oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
matt sesow selftaught artist

"End of the Road"

31 Days in July 2011, july 30th
inspired by: president obama calls for greater mileage from american cars, rebublicans and democrats reach the end of the road on debt ceiling negotiations, shooting down each others bills. obama calls on citizens to contact reps. using twitter, etc.

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD
matt sesow selftaught artist

"Uncharted Territory"

31 Days in July 2011, july 31st
inspired by: backpackers arrested in iran two years ago finally go on trial today for spying. debt ceiling/default problem remains unsolved. francis bacon's van gogh backpacker study (painting)

oil/acrylic on streteched canvas
30" x 40"
*SOLD


(click image for 31 Days in July 2006)


(click image for 31 Days in July 2005)


(click image for press/interviews/pics from shows)


(click image for press/interviews/pics from shows)

All images and paintings copyright Matt Sesow.

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2003...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2004...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2005...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2006...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2007...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2009...

CLICK HERE FOR 31 DAYS IN JULY, 2010...

*In 2008, Sesow and Ellyn painted during the month of July in China CLICK HERE FOR MORE ABOUT 2008 JULY IN CHINA
The "31 Days in July" project was conceived and launched in July 2003 by Washington, DC artists Matt Sesow and Dana Ellyn. Inspired by the March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, Sesow and Ellyn wanted to immerse themselves in a project that would not only emphasize their dedication to painting but also help entice them to document the historical events taking place within their lifespan. They decided to commemorate each month of July by creating paintings about the news of the day. The 31 paintings are created and completed in Washington, DC.

Each day, during the month of July, Sesow and Ellyn awake to pour through the morning news looking for inspiration to guide the dayÕs painting. Each painting must be started on the day it was inspired. At the end of July, at midnight, all 31 paintings are completed.

During the first seven years of the project, Sesow and Ellyn limited themselves to using the front page print edition of the Washington Post as their guide. Beginning in 2011, the artists decided that the print edition of the Washington Post no longer adequately covers the important news in a timely fashion and oftentimes diverts reader focus to trivial fluff. The artists now scour a multitude of references including domestic and international sources ( such as Democracy Now, Al Jazeera, RT, and the Guardian ). Emphasis being on Òhistorical importanceÓ and the political influence enacted by Washington, DC on world events. They will look to what was, and what wasnÕt covered by mainstream media, to provide inspiration.

This project occurs each year during the month of July. Results will be posted here on sesow.com and are usually available for sale to collectors and galleries.