Some artists follow a straight line to their career; others travel a more colorful route. Matt DeProspero’s first- and second-grade teachers recognized his talent and had him decorate the blackboard for holidays. In third grade he participated in after-school art classes offered by a retired nun. He copied landscapes torn from old calendars. “She taught me to be neat and avoid the perils of getting oil paint on your clothes.” Then he had no art training through high school but held onto a strong desire to attend an art college.
He knew he had to pay for art college himself and chose Philadelphia’s Hussian School to get practical training for an illustration and graphic design career. He had the great fortune to have Al Gury as his teacher. Gury, now the author of several widely used art education books, saw DeProspero’s skill and urged him to continue his study at the Pennsylvania Academy. After two years there, he left and worked as a monitor for Gury’s classes, prepping the classroom and incidentally auditing the classes. “Gury was a good teacher, not insisting you paint like he did, but showing you how to paint like you.” A job doing catalog illustrations followed. “I got very good at painting small and fast,” he laughingly remembers.
Then he started a handyman business where he was living in South Philadelphia. “It was creative in its way, and it was a good living until COVID hit.” He and his wife wanted to find a smaller city and happened to visit Lambertville. They liked the art galleries, antique shops, restaurants, “and the community felt good,” he said. They bought a house and spent a year putting his handyman skills to work. He and his wife decided he should try being a full-time artist. Working from the house, he painted and taught on Zoom because of the pandemic. In January 2021, he opened a second-floor teaching studio in the town and in 2023, opened a larger street-level studio/gallery/teaching space at the corner of Church and Main streets.
DeProspero acknowledges his teachers inspired him to want to teach as well as to paint. He saw they made a great contribution to students by helping them find their way, even when the route is maybe a meandering one. He noted, “Finally, I have the opportunity to paint for myself and to give back to others who want to learn to paint. One great thing about painting—and teaching—is that you also continue to learn more about yourself in the process.”
Art is a solitary pursuit for many artists but since DeProspero paints in his storefront studio, passersby can watch him at work. He also paints on location and his painting for the Arts and Cultural Council’s Wine and Art Tour will be exhibited this summer. De Prospero takes students for individual and group classes with the objective of helping students find their own style of painting.
Local Color is a column produced by the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County. It appears on the first Thursday of each month.
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