Matthew Grabelsky

Matthew Grabelsky is an oil painter who was raised in New York City but is currently based in Los Angeles. His paintings are set in benign landscapes such as subway cars, but their subjects are the most fascinatingly bizarre animal-human hybrids. Not only does Grabelsky paint in a stunning realistic style, his sense for composition and ability to merge the subject’s disparate parts is seamless.

Each of the works I have selected for this feature are prime examples of my favorite aspect of Grabelsky’s work: his sense of humor. Each painting communicates a pun or other humorous element that transforms his work from the “super-serious art” realm to “art that is approachable and intriguing.” Children will gravitate towards the playful nature of Grabelsky’s work and be intrigued to discuss it more!

Discussion for Kids

• For each of the paintings, take 1 minute to really look closely at every inch. For non-readers, you can help by pointing out the text that appears in the paintings. Acknowledge any questions or comments that arise but take the full minute to really relax into an examination of the image. Then, move on to the prompts below:

  • Ask the child to tell one possible story about the subject of the painting. What are they doing? Where might they be going?

  • What is one part of the image that they were most drawn to/intrigued by?

  • What else did they notice?