Nova Scotia, Canada
Matthew
Matthew
Hatt
Painter. Music producer. Children's book author. Bold colour, spontaneous process, made full time, against the odds.
↓ the story so far
Painter. Music producer. Children's book author. Bold colour, spontaneous process, made full time, against the odds.
Matthew Hatt was born in Toronto in 1975 and grew up in New Minas and Gold River, Nova Scotia.
He left school in grade 10 and spent years working in professional kitchens across Halifax and the South Shore, working his way up to Sous Chef.
2006. Matthew was diagnosed with a mental illness. He kept making art and music through it, and that work became his full time career.
His paintings use bold colour and a self-developed process built on spontaneity. His work hangs in homes across Canada and as far as China, and it has influenced a new generation of artists. He also creates digital art, carrying the same characters and colour into wearable pieces through Strange Piece Clothing.
As a music producer, Matthew writes and masters tracks across genres, from experimental and witch house to industrial, dream pop and downtempo. He also writes children's books, bringing the same colourful, character-driven style from his visual art into storytelling for young readers.
Three from the current body of work, raw and hand lettered. Highlights and recent work live at thestrangeroom.com. The full archive on Instagram is locked.
Matthew's digital art, off the screen and onto fabric. Strange Piece carries that character work into wearable pieces for everyday use.
Shop Strange Piece →
Children's books with the same colourful, character-driven style as the paintings, written for young readers and the grown-ups reading along.
Browse OK Kitten Books →
Experimental, witch house, industrial, dream pop, downtempo. Bad Pet Records is where Matthew writes, produces and masters music across genres.
Listen on Bad Pet Records →