“The combination of beautiful drawings—delicate, soft, almost as if faded—and exotic imagery, on papyrus-like paper, gives a sense of something ancient and unfamiliar, to be deciphered.”
—Jack Foran, art critic, Artvoice, www.artvoice.com/
Matthew Joshua Knisley’s work is held in private collections in the Northeast and Midwest. He studied at Alfred University under the late Swiss graphic designer Fred Troller. [Heller, Steven. “Fred Troller, 71, Champion of Bold Graphic Style.” The New York Times.] About his work, Jack Foran art critic in Artvoice writes, “The combination of beautiful drawings—delicate, soft, almost as if faded—and exotic imagery, on papyrus-like paper, gives a sense of something ancient and unfamiliar, to be deciphered.” He is the recipient of The Puffin Foundation Grant of Teaneck, New Jersey. His work has been held in galleries and museums across New York, most notably Burchfield Penney Art Center and The Benjaman Gallery in Buffalo, and the Chautauqua Art Institute in Chautauqua as well as Arnot Art Museum in Elmira. Three times his work has been selected to be shown in Buffalo’s reputable Echo Art Fair that’s curated in part by The Albright Knox.
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Oryx | hand-drawn | graphite and casein on paper | 18" x 23"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Jaguar and Pyramid | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal, casein on paper | 12" x 18"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Jaguar, Pyamid and Ocean | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal, casein on paper | 11.75" x 16.5"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Jaguar | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal, casein on paper | 12" x 18"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Oryx | hand-drawn | graphite on Tibetan Lokta paper | 4.75" x 7"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Zebra/Geocosm 2 | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal, casein on papyrus hand-woven with cotton thread | 30" x 38"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Roan Antelope/Geocosm | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal, casein on papyrus hand-woven with cotton thread | 11.25" x 9.5"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Roan Antelope/Geocosm | hand-drawn | graphite, charcoal and casein on papyrus | 12" x 6"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Waterfall Central Axis | hand-drawn | graphite on paper | 17" x 13"
Matthew Joshua Knisley | Gull of Lake Ontario | hand-drawn | graphite and casein on paper | 23.5" x 12.5"
Selected Awards
2019 | The Puffin Foundation Grant, Teaneck, NJ
2016 | James O’Brien Award, 59th Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Chautauqua, NY (juried: Steven Harvey, Chief Director, Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York, NY; Jennifer Samet, Author at Hyperallergic, Co-director, Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York, NY)
2013 | Ted Pietrzak Award in Realism, Buffalo Society of Artists 117th Annual Catalogue Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY (juried: George A. Hughes, Associate Professor of Visual Studies, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY) (catalogue)
Publications
2021 | Winfield, Mason. The Prince of the Air. Buffalo, NY: RPSS Publishing, 2021
2021 | Winfield, Mason. The Whistlers: A Paranormal Intrigue. Buffalo, NY: RPSS Publishing, 2021
2019 | Winfield, Mason. The Whistlers: The Lord of the Dawn. Buffalo, NY: Mason Winfield Books, 2019.
2018 | Winfield, Mason. The Rose Witch: Supernatural Tales Among Western New York's Ethnicities. Buffalo, NY: Western New York Wares, 2018.
2015 | Art in Craft Media 2015, Burchfield Penny Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State.
2014 | Foran, Jack. “Ars Commedia–Buffalo Society of Artists Annual Spring Show at Buffalo Arts Studio.” Artvoice, April 10th-16th, 2014, Vol. 13, No. 15, p.12.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 | Sprawling Visions, Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY (invitational)
2017 | 14th Annual Blanche Ames National Juried Art Exhibition, North Easton, MA (juried: Theresa Ganz, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts, Brown University, Providence, RI) (catalogue)
2017 | From Your Collection: A Collaborative Art Exhibition, Sugar City Arts Collaborative, Buffalo, NY (courtesy Gerald Mead, Independent Curator, Buffalo, NY)
2016 | 59th Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Strohl Center, Chautauqua, NY, James O’Brien Award (juried: Steven Harvey, Chief Director, Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York, NY; Jennifer Samet, Author at Hyperallergic, Co-director, Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, New York, NY)
2016 | Echo Art Fair 2016, Buffalo, NY (juried: Eric Shiner, Executive Director, The Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh, PA; Scott F. Propeack, Associate Director & Chief Curator, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY; Michael Beam, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections, Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, Niagara Falls, NY; Michael Tomor, Executive Director, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa Bay, FL; Shirley Verrico, Curator, Buffalo Arts Studio, Buffalo, NY)
2015 | Art in Craft Media 2015, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY (juried: Wayne Higby, Director & Chief Curator, Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, NY) (catalogue)
2015 | Gallery Gala 17, Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY (invitational)
2015 | The Best of BoxHeart, BoxHeart Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA (invitational)
2014 | Buffalo Society of Artists 118th Annual Catalogue Exhibition, Hi Temp Fabrications, Buffalo, NY (juried: Michael Beam, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections, Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, Niagara Falls, NY) (catalogue)
2014 | Echo Art Fair 2014, Buffalo, NY (juried: Cathleen Chaffee, Curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Colina Maxwell, Executive Director, Centre3, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Robert Scalise, Registrar & Collections Manager, UB Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Catherine Foley, Arts Patron, Buffalo, NY; Rosyln Goldman, Collector, Rochester, NY)
2014 | Knox Farms Equestrian Show, Knox Farms, East Aurora, NY (curated: The Benjaman Gallery, Buffalo, NY)
2014 | Buffalo Society of Artists 118th Annual Spring Exhibition, Buffalo Art Studios, Buffalo, NY (juried:Ann Welles, Director, Exhibit A, Corning, NY) (catalogue)
2013 | Salon: An Exhibition of Everything, The Benjaman Gallery, Buffalo, NY (invitational)
2013 | Buffalo Society of Artists 117th Annual Catalogue Exhibition, Kenan Center, Lockport, NY, Ted Pietrzak Award in Realism (juried: George Hughes, Associate Professor of Visual Studies, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY) (catalogue)
2013 | Echo Art Fair 2013, Buffalo, NY (juried: Doug Dreishpoon, Chief Curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Anthony Bannon, Executive Director, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY; Jax Deluca, Executive Director, Squeaky Wheel, Buffalo, NY; Roberta Joseph, Collector, Buffalo, NY; Jonathan Katz, Independent Curator & Professor of Visual Studies, University at Buffalo; Maria Via, Director of Exhibitions, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY)
2013 | Buffalo Society of Artists 117th Annual Spring Exhibition, Karpeles Manuscript Library, Buffalo, NY (juried: Zerbe Sodervick, Director, Gallery r, Rochester, NY) (catalogue)
Matthew Joshua Knisley