Everything Old – the shop where a great deal of my subjects come from – came by my studio for a chat about my work. They’ve always been really amazing supporters and take a keen interest in what I do. I have often talked to them about my paintings so it was nice to be able to sit down and talk to them.
Classic Pelican Books
An 18 x 36 inch composition of wonderfully aged Pelican Books – see the painting closer here.
These books cover a broad range of subjects – everything from art, architecture, history, philosophy, etc. Something for everyone. And even though these books come from the past, they’re still relevant.
Orwell’s Penguins
These two are on the way to the George Billis Gallery in New York. Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Tick-Tock: Time in Contemporary Art
Check out my painting in the slick catalogue for the exhibition Tick-Tock: Time in Contemporary Art at the Lehman College Art Gallery. The exhibition ran from February 2 – May 5, 2018.
My painting, Three, was included in the exhibition with numerous other works of depicting the concept of time.
“Stott created this quietly beautiful still life of three alarm clocks, all pointing to three o’clock, using a restrained palette of silver, taupe, and aqua that is subtly complimentary, like musical variations on a single theme. The artist revels in the visual satisfaction derived from the delineating variations in groups of similar objects. Here, the shapes of the bells, font of the numbering, and the style of the hands all lead the eye through and around the painting, encouraging the viewer to contemplate the similarities and find the differences in a kind of visual game.”
Art Market San Francisco 2018
The George Billis Gallery LA had some of my work showing at the big Art Market San Francisco art fair.
Talking & Listening
If you have time, please read this article about my work from Wall Street International Magazine. You’ll find a very good summation of the intentions of my paintings.
These two paintings are part of my current exhibition in Los Angeles at the George Billis Gallery.
They are used as representations for communication – a theme I have focused on for several years. Talking and listening; the literal functions of these as objects. Admired also for their iconic designs and vibrant color.
On Painting Typewriters
Typewriters seem to embody ambition. They represent the tools to document thoughts, ideas and stories – you literally hammer your words on to paper.
They’re familiar to us, but distant enough to be obsolete. As with all the man made objects I use as subjects the compositions are simple and straight forward. But they become more complicated with the repetition of the keys and the mechanics of the machine.
I’ve painted many typewriters and without fail, every time I start working on the keys, I think “what did I get myself in to?”
Above: Underwood Leader
Below: Remington Quiet-Riter II
George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, April 2018
I traveled to Los Angeles to attend the opening reception for my exhibition on April 7. As a studio painter, I spend all of my time in one place working on my paintings. That’s the way I like it, but I have to admit that it’s really good to get out once in a while. It’s a benefit that the galleries where I show my work are in interesting places.
Having people see the paintings in person is really important. We’re all glancing at them illuminated on a tiny screen, so it’s refreshing to see people inspect them up close in person and really experience them. But the absolute best part is meeting people who make the time to come and see them.
Read What You Will
The titles read like a poem. Or at least they do if that’s what you want. It’s not intentional on my part. It’s more serendipity.
Text makes you look at a painting longer. If there’s something to read, you’ll spend more time. Then you begin to draw connections between the words. You let them tell you what you want.
You may also respond to the color, and the structure the books create. They are architectural. Solid and sturdy.
