Photo by Ryan Warner
About Me
My name’s Matt Schu, and I’m an artist and children's book illustrator from Portland, Oregon. I’m the illustrator of several picture books, most recently Something in the Darkness by John Dougherty (Post Wave Books, 2026) and I Know the Whale by Robin Yardi (Little Bee Books, 2025), as well as the upcoming The Boy Who Saved Lives with a Pen by Deborah Blumenthal (FSG, 2027). I’m also the illustrator of chapter books including Swindled! by Dianne K. Salerni and the upcoming Backpack, Boy, Berlin by Kip Wilson (Candlewick, 2026) and The Thieves’ Game by Laura Martin (Atheneum, 2027). Among other places, my paintings and drawings have often been exhibited at Nucleus gallery in Portland, in the Society of Illustrators’ annual Original Art show, and in Portland’s downtown library.
My website: Matt-schu.com
Instagram: @mattxxchu
Represented by Chad W. Beckerman (chad@catagencyinc.com) at The CAT Agency for book illustration work.
Some groups I’ve worked with: HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Candlewick Press, MIT Kids, Penguin Random House, Highlights magazine, Oxford University Press, Nucleus Portland gallery
See also: Instagram, Behance, Twitter
I sell prints at etsy.com/shop/mattschu, with BuyOlympia, and an “old man and cat” print with Nucleus Portland.
Email: matt@matt-schu.com
CV
BOOKS ILLUSTRATED
2027: The Boy Who Saved Lived with a Pen, written by Deborah Blumenthal, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2026: Backpack, Boy, Berlin, written by Kip Wilson, published by Candlewick Press
2026: Something in the Darkness, written by John Dougherty, published by Post Wave Books
2025: Cosmic Collisions: Supergiant vs. Neutron Star, written by Dr. Marc Kuchner, published by Candlewick / MIT Kids Press
2025: I Know the Whale, written by Robin Yardi, published by Little Bee Books
2025: The Tontine Caper, written by Dianne K. Salerni, published by Holiday House Books
2024: Star and the Maestro, written by Thor Hanson, published by Greenwillow Books / Harper Collins
2024: Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid vs. Comet, written by Dr. Marc Kuchner, published by Candlewick / MIT Kids Press
2023: CUT! How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation, written by CE Winters, published by Greenwillow Books / Harper Collins
2023: My Cat Does Ballet, written by Robert Heidbreder, published by Atheneum / Simon & Schuster
2023: The Islands of Elsewhere, written by Heather Fawcett, published by Rocky Pond Books / Penguin Random House
2020: Old Man and Cat, self-published book of drawings
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
October 2026: Recent paintings at Archimedes Gallery; Cannon Beach, OR
January 2026: Cat and Mouse at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
February-March 2025: Ruins at Nucleus House gallery; Portland, OR
January 2023: Nucleus House gallery; Portland, OR
July-August 2022: Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
March-April 2021: Windows at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
November 2018: SALUT! III group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
November 2019: SALUT! IV group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
June 2020: SALUT! V group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
September 2020: Portland Collective group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
November 2020: Microdose 2 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
February 2021: Mind Weave group show with WOW X WOW
June 2021: SALUT! 6 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
August-September 2021: Microdose 3 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
October 2021: Inktober group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
May 2022: SALUT! 7 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
June 2023: SALUT! 8 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
March 2024: Microdose 4 group show at Nucleus House gallery; Portland, OR
April-May 2024: Cluster group show at Nucleus House gallery; Portland, OR
June 2024: SALUT! 9 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
September 2024: Bad Dads group show at Spoke; New York, NY
December 2024: PS 9 group show at Nucleus House gallery; Portland, OR
February 2025: Microdose 5 group show at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
May 2026: Anniversary Show at Arch Enemy Arts; Philadelphia, PA
August 2026: 10th Anniversary Show at Nucleus Portland Gallery; Portland, OR
August 2026: The Ornithologist’s Cabinet at Arch Enemy Arts; Philadelphia, PA
SELECTED FAIRS, CONVENTIONS
July 2017: Portland Zine Symposium; Portland, OR
July 2018: Portland Zine Symposium; Portland, OR
November 2018: Short Run small press expo; Seattle, WA
December 2018: Pin Pals Pop-Up at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
June 2019: Pin Pals Art Market at Nucleus Portland gallery; Portland, OR
June 2019: Portland Indie Con; Portland, OR
July 2019: Portland Zine Symposium; Portland, OR
September 2019: San Francisco Zine Fest; San Francisco, CA
November 2019: Short Run small press expo; Seattle, WA
July 2020: Portland Zine Symposium; Portland, OR
July 2020: Virtual Summer Art Mart with Nucleus Portland; Portland, OR
August 2022: Art Bug zine fair; Portland, OR
GRANTS
2019: Catalyst grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council; Portland, OR
CLASSES
June 2018: Lead zine-making class at Spark Arts Center; Portland, OR
August 2018: Lead zine-making class at Spark Arts Center; Portland, OR
November 2018: Lead zine-making class at Spark Arts Center; Portland, OR
Press
Reviews
Interviews
Elsewhere on the Web