Matthew Reed / TVBeaches

Matthew Reed (aka TVBeaches) is an Asheville, North Carolina-based painter and visual artist. I found him through MJ Lenderman’s Perfectly Imperfect recommendations earlier this year and instantly became a fan of his surreal style. His paintings remind me a bit of Alex Colville, one of my all-time favorites, with how they can feel straight out of a Playstation 2 game. Reed’s work feature scenes from everyday modern life, but the characters are uncanny and shadowy, and the backdrops familiar yet unknown. Matthew made the art for the MJ single “Knockin,” and later, the cover of his acclaimed record Manning Fireworks. If you don’t already know, Asheville got hit very, very, hard by Hurricane Helene. Whole towns no longer exist, and he says they might not have running water until 2025. He’ll tell you more below, but please donate to Beloved Asheville (@belovedasheville) if you can, they need your help. Lucky for us, Matthew is here to tell us what he’s been into.