Mathew O'Donnell began painting as a boy in Van Buren, Maine. Encouraged by his father, who also painted, and inspired by his rural surroundings, Mat continued to paint after his family moved to Bangor when he was 13. Following high school, O'Donnell attended The Portland School of Fine and Applied Art and The Boston Fine Arts Museum School before getting his bachelor of fine arts degree at The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1977.

O’Donnell, a Wiscasset-based artist, carpenter and musician, has a new show of 20 paintings at Skidompha Public Library’s Carey Gallery located in the back entry of the building. 

Through his drawing and painting, O’Donnell tries to portray the different layers of existence that surround him, from the mundane to the cosmic. “ I believe these levels exist in everything: trees, animals, sunsets, people, etc. Everything around me is full of information and wisdom. Creating and identifying helps me remember and connect with people, places, and things. Making these paintings seems like such a random and chaotic process. The rational part of me often wonders at the pointlessness of it. But in the end, I’m always surprised by how much sense they make and how complete and human I feel because of them.”