MATTHEW CORNELL
“AMERICA ON A FIRST NAME BASIS”
MATTHEW CORNELL
“AMERICA ON A FIRST NAME BASIS”
SEPTEMBER 13 - 30, 2025
Arcadia Contemporary presents “America on a First Name Basis,” a themed solo exhibition of 14, new oil paintings by Matthew Cornell, all depicting small town locales visited during a recent cross-country journey.
This series celebrates the small businesses in America’s towns that proudly carry someone’s name in their identity. Depicting these structures at dusk and dawn, Cornell captures a heightened sense of intimacy and atmosphere, illuminating not only the architecture but also the emotional terrain contained within.
“Judy’s” Oil on Panel 24 x 24 Inches
“Dog Star” Oil on Panel 20 x 20 Inches
“Rowland’s” Oil on Panel 18 x 18 Inches
“Matt’s Corner Crossroads” Oil on Panel 14 x 14 Inches
“Johnny’s” Oil on Panel 12 x 12 Inches
“Sherri’s Skill Arcade” Oil on Panel 12 x 12 Inches
“Porky’s” Oil on Panel 12 x 12 Inches
“Stan’s” Oil on Panel 10 x 10 Inches
“Don’s House” Oil on Panel 10 x 10 Inches
“Dick’s” Oil on Panel 8 x 8 Inches
“Mel’s” Oil on Panel 8 x 8 Inches
“Ben’s Service Center”
Oil on Panel
8 x 8 Inches
“Pedro’s” Oil on Panel 8 x 8 Inches
MATTHEW CORNELL
Born in Fairfield, California in 1964, some of Cornell’s earliest memories are of traveling across the United States by car, a quintessentially American experience that shaped his way of seeing the world.
Early in his career, weather became a defining subject in his paintings—majestic cloud formations, shifting skies, and the cycles of nature’s creation and destruction. Over time, his work has grown more complex, often depicting dusk and nighttime scenes where quiet homes, glowing streetlights, and shadowed neighborhoods evoke mystery, memory, and the search for belonging. These narratives reflect both the places he knew growing up and his ongoing exploration of what it means to call somewhere “home.”
