Artist | Creator
Born Matthew John Montero in Covington, Louisiana, on June 22, 1988, he was deeply immersed in art from an early age. His father was a self-made entrepreneur and lifelong passionate art collector and his mother was naturally gifted in painting and drawing. Montero did not formally take up painting until the winter of 2007, where the expression of the human condition played a major role. From the beginning, his instinct for emotional depth, intensity, and strength of composition was clear.
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The Horror. House paint on canvas. 2009.
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Incredibly, he has always used his bare hands to paint.
This unique mastery of using his fingers like brushes gives his paintings a compelling and original intensity, with no brush marks or trace elements. Montero explains:
"For me, painting has always been a confrontation. Using my hands allows me to feel the canvas and subject directly. It's an honest transfer with nothing in-between."
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Painting Process
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(Collection of documented paintings 2007-2017)
Candid footage of Montero painting Bruce Lee. Shot by artist wife.
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Montero's portraits are done entirely freehanded; meaning there is NO pasted or projected tracing of an image onto the canvas.
"I remember it just came more natural and intimate than a brush. I instantly felt more connected to what I was painting.I feel an artist has to earn his subject. There is no art in projecting or tracing an image onto the canvas. It's passionless, facile, and superficial to the viewer. It's not a coloring book. A painter must go straight onto the canvas and let instinct and the heart create what it feels."
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