Christopher Stott

A Trip to California

2009-06-15T20:25:00.007-06:00

I had a great time in Sacramento, enjoyed genuine hospitality and met many interesting people. The reception was a blast. I talked my face off for three hours, and had great conversations.

Below are a few shots of the installation the afternoon before the craziness began this past Saturday night. It's a real trip to see your paintings properly presented in one place with care and attention.

I'll be taking a bit of a breather so the blog will be quiet for a few weeks. I'm looking forward to returning with some fresh pieces.

Cheers!

Saturday, June 13, 6-9PM — Reception

2009-06-10T10:16:00.001-06:00

I'll be in Sacramento for the reception for the show at the Elliott Fouts Gallery on Saturday, June 13th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. It's Sacramento's Second Saturday event, so there will be plenty to see and do!

The gallery is located at 4749 J Street:

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Open Book & Gala Apple

2009-06-08T20:57:00.001-06:00

18" x 24" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

After getting the garden in, spending more time than usual playing in the dirt and going for long walks with the kids for the past few weeks, I did manage to actually get this painting done. Now I have to buckle down and get a bunch of commissions completed. Dang, I just know the summer sunshine is going to taunt me...

New Work, June 2009 — A Slideshow

2009-06-06T15:12:00.005-06:00

If you have the computing power and want to see the paintings included in my show in Sacramento in high resolution (so you can really scrutinize the work), click here. Below is a small version of the same thing.

Mandolin

2009-06-04T15:19:00.001-06:00

20" x 30" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• Available at the Elliott Fouts Gallery

This mandolin was made in the 1890s in Sicily by Luigi Fenga. I posted a picture of me working on this painting in April here.

In 1919 a young man named Robert McPherson was serving as a medic in the Canadian 29th Infantry Battalion during WWI. He picked up this mandolin second hand in Belgium before he returned home. In 1965, as an elderly man, Mr. McPerhson befriended a young man and his family who were renting a cabin on the same property he lived on and eventually gave them the mandolin as a gift. My connection... I know the sister-in-law to the once young man in the 60s who received the mandolin from Mr. McPherson. He was kind enough to lend me it as a subject for painting.

I'm fascinated by the lineage and connected stories objects can have. It's easy to conjure up visions of a young soldier playing the mandolin, likely one of few momentary escapes in what would have been an unimaginable time.

I did some research and found these two photographs of the 29th Battalion. There's no way of knowing if Mr. McPherson is in these photos or knew these fellows, but they give perspective to the time, place and atmosphere.

Southwest Art Magazine - June 2009

2009-06-03T12:27:00.004-06:00

I finally got my hands on the June 2009 issue of Southwest Art magazine... where I'm referred to as Christopher Scott. Still, I must say it is really an honor to be in the magazine! Click on the image to see it large and give it a read.

"Thank You" - Bubblegum Machine

2009-06-02T21:05:00.005-06:00

40" x 30" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• Available at the Elliott Fouts Gallery

Hanging for the month of June at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento is my two-man show with Manuel Nunes.

This large bubble gum machine is in the show. I did this several months and it'll be nice to see it again during the reception for the show, during Sacramento's Second Saturday on June 13th. It's been some time since I have seen my work together hanging in a space. You get such a different perspective for paintings when you see them properly lit... and not in a messy studio.

Manual of Psychology

2009-05-29T21:49:00.004-06:00

20" x 20" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

The Manual of Psychology belonged to a law student in 1905. My mother-in-law's mother-in-law was the housekeeper for the gentleman lawyer decades after his schooling. After he passed away, she was given all his books as they were something she admired.

I have the book sitting in front of me. As I casually flipped it open, it landed on a page discussing spacial perception. One hundred and four years ago the student scrawled the word chiaroscuro beside the phrase "The play of light and shade...". I find it curious that I'd flip open an ancient psychology text and by chance fall on a page explaining visual concepts used by artists — the use of light and shadow to create a sense of depth.

Is this book trying to tell me something?

It's Story Time No.2

2009-05-28T13:00:00.004-06:00

24" x 20" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

This is another composition with the early 1960s children's book, It's Story Time. I had fun with with a triangular composition which I think works well with the overall simplicity of the shapes in my work.

My four-year-old daughter was flipping through book and was fascinated by the illustrations. She was inspired and did a little sketch of a bird and left it as a gift for me.

Underwood Typewriter

2009-05-27T09:36:00.009-06:00

30" x 36" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• Available at the Elliott Fouts Gallery

I frequently visit the website Shorpy.com, which features high resolution photographs from the 1850s to 1950s. Their tag-line is true, there always is something interesting there.

I was pleasantly surprised to find these two images; the first is of the Underwood Typewriter Co.'s office in Washington, D.C. around 1919. Second photograph is the "Office Girls" from 1925. The girl on the left is hard at work on her Underwood. Click on the images to visit the site and you can find super-mega-high resolution scans with incredible detail.

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The Fans

2009-05-26T09:46:00.003-06:00

Two Vintage Electric Fans
20" x 24" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• Available at the Elliott Fouts Gallery

Vintage Electric Fan, Three Glasses of Water
30" x 36" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

It turns out I have an interest in industrial design. And nostalgia. And strong geometric shapes. And icons and symbols found in everyday objects. The interests manifest themselves in paintings. Paintings that are done with a slight lean on old masters painting techniques with an emphasis on how that light falls on these objects. Recently that light has been the dependable light from a north-facing window in my house.

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The Bosc Pear

2009-05-25T09:05:00.004-06:00

Three Bosc Pears & Antique Book
16" x 24" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

Nine Pear Huddle
20" x 30" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

My muse, the pear. The perfect way to study light and color with a simply beautiful shape. These two pieces will be included in the June show.

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Bottles & Bartlett Pears

2009-05-20T21:44:00.006-06:00

24" x 24" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

My good friend Karin Jurick emailed me and said she spotted this painting in the June 2009 issue of Southwest Art Magazine, promoting my upcoming two-man show with Manuel Nunes at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento.

The article refers to me as Christopher Scott. Easy to do... Christopher Stott / Christopher Scott... see the difference? Even if you say it out loud you can barely hear the difference. It is a common error for the entire Stott clan. Everyone with my last name has a Stott/Scott mix-up to share. The upside is that it is easy to hide my identity should I ever need to. The downside is it makes it hard to Google me to find out more about my work.

Once I get my hands on an actual copy of the magazine I'll share it with you, along with many more paintings included in the show.

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Story Time

2009-05-12T10:42:00.003-06:00

16" x 24" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

This is another piece for my June show. It has pre-sold (along with 1:00, 2:00, 3:00) so I'm sharing them a little early.

Painting these books really lights my fire. I picked up the "It's Story Time" book at an antique shop near my house. Its red cover and the simplicity of the title really are a great contrast to the heavy, dark books.

1:00, 2:00, 3:00

2009-05-01T14:23:00.002-06:00

20" x 40" — Oil/Canvas — 2009
• SOLD

This is one of the paintings for my upcoming show in Sacramento, California this June. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing more completed pieces.

A friend gave me a small suitcase and some old clocks, to add to my collection. Over time I'll be continuing the series of clocks that I've been working on. It's more than obvious what the next in the series will have to be.

Painting in Progress: Mandolin

2009-04-21T12:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went to the library and headed for the fine arts section. It's a place I spent many hours in as a teenager. I loved it there. Of course this was pre-internet. Every art related magazine is there. Countless massive, glossy books on any artist. A friend of mine used to work at the library and said it's shocking and sad how the place has become a ghost town. Rarely do people show up to borrow books like they used to. Kids almost never show up to reference books for essays.

I'm guilty of abandoning what was once a favourite place. Along with almost everyone else, I browse the web for info and inspiration, which is obviously fantastic, but I would put it in third place, behind books, and actual paintings in first place if you want to look at art. Books and catalogues have been put together with painstaking consideration in colour correction and detail.

I borrowed Andrew Wyeth: Memory & Magic, along with several other books and browsing through them was completely inspiring. So, if you're looking for some fresh air and inspiration and are not near any major galleries, head to the library. I recommend it.

Here's an aerial view of me working on the mandolin. The mandolin is drawn nearly exact to life size. Starting next month I'll be posting actual completed pieces.

A Few Hundred Years Late

2009-04-15T10:06:00.007-06:00

The most recent post on "Flying Fox" by Jonathan Janson (who also maintains the fantastic site Essential Vermeer) struck a cord with me and I'm compelled to share it.

Reading Jonathan's post on why Vermeer's paintings are now so popular made me aware that I may have been born a few hundred years late. I've always had sneaking suspicion this was the case.

Right now I'm working on a painting of a mandolin. I've never painted an instrument before, but this particular mandolin comes with a fascinating story that I'll share once the painting is complete.

Working on Still Life

2009-03-31T18:55:00.005-06:00

After spending a few weeks on larger paintings, I'm taking a breather and painting some simpler still life pieces. Wow, what a change of pace.

The key to success in anything is constantly working on your craft. Painting anything is an opportunity to improve, experiment and refine. I get squirrely when I'm away from the studio for to long. Being in the studio and painting makes me happy.

Below are some photos of my subjects and a shelf in my studio where three pieces in the works wait patiently for their turn at the easel.

Another Artist in the Making

2009-03-28T11:27:00.006-06:00

I've written about my daughters interest in the studio, but my son has taken me by surprise over the last week or so with his own creative endeavors.

Where my daughter will make art for the sake of making art. My son, however, needs a little more black and white approach. There has to be a concrete purpose behind it. It has to be very linear and tell a story. And nothing does that better for a kid than a comic strip.

So now my studio has early drafts of comic strips hanging around. And the best part is it's entirely his own doing.

Painting in Progress: Manual of Psychology

2009-03-20T21:27:00.006-06:00

Today I began a painting with a book, the "Manual of Psychology" as one of the subjects. By an author who's last name is so similar to mine that I was thinking I could be very sly and sneak mine in instead, we're just one letter off. But I won't because I claim no authority on the subject of psychology.

I'm fortunate to have an antique shop a block from my house. However, I'm a little worried about how long it'll continue business, as the fellow who runs the place looks like he's been at it for about, oh, 150 years. When you enter the shop you have to courteously announce your presence because I'm not so sure he can actually turn to see if someone has entered. If I were a portrait painter I'd try with all my might to capture this fellow. I recently read The Lathe of Heaven in which a tortoise-like alien owns and operates an antique shop... well, lets just say that entering the shop near my house leaves you wondering if you're trapped in a science fiction novel and your dreams are coming true.

I picked up the book "It's Story Time" at the aforementioned shop. I think its title and subject contrasts perfectly with the thick, heavy subject and title of the "Manual of Psychology". I'll put that down in the notebook with ideas for future paintings.

Painting in Progress: A Big Fan

2009-03-17T15:26:00.005-06:00

I'm working on a variation of the vintage electric fan. I've added a few more shapes to the composition and will be adding several layers of glazes focusing on the surface of the glasses and fan. Fascinating, huh? If you want to see some simply beautiful still life with geometric shapes, check out the work of Volkert Olij.

After this piece, I'm going to be working smaller. When I started this fan, I thought it would be easier than the typewriter, but the truth is the typewriter has so many tiny little details that you can sort of wing it.

Painting in Progress: 1:00, 2:00, 3:00

2009-03-12T22:49:00.011-06:00

Here's another piece in progress. I'm calling it "1:00, 2:00, 3:00". I'm positive it will be complete during the next sitting. It's resting on a self in the studio, by the door leading to what once was a balcony. Someone closed it off in the 1950s. I'd like to expand it into a sitting room one day. Right now it serves as storage.

The second photo is of me hard at work on the typewriter.

Painting in Progress: Underwood Typewriter

2009-03-10T15:07:00.005-06:00

I thought I'd share a photo, a glimpse into my work space. This is another painting of the old Underwood in progress. I'm tackling the keys today, a great way to ruin ones posture is to sit for 3 hours straight, hunched over moving across the canvas, inch by inch. In a few months, I'll share the completed painting once it's hanging at the gallery for the exhibition in June.

I'm Getting Older

2009-03-06T13:45:00.006-06:00

I need to take breaks, frequently, from the easel. Stepping away, focusing on something else, then taking a glance over my shoulder to the easel to see if the past hour or so was a complete waste. I used to take it pretty hard when the painting was struggling. I used to think everything needed to be fixed now, but I've learned that it's wiser to wait about 24 to 48 hours to pass. I no longer experience the feeling of wanting to stick my foot through the canvas. I think I must be getting older.

I'm lucky to be doing what I do. Those nasty news headlines about hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs, joining the millions that already have... well, I guess no matter what, I won't lose this painter life.

At the bank, I was cornered by the well meaning manager. Several brochures were lunged in to my reluctant hands and questions about my retirement were posed. I just finished telling her I was a painter, an artist, you know, like back in the olden days. I won't retire. I'll keep doing the same thing until the bitter end. And I already save so I'm not worried and that's because I'm really cheap, just ask my wife.

That did not compute with banker. Artist does not understand the rules.

It's oh so quiet...

2009-02-27T18:27:00.006-06:00

I'm working away in the studio, quietly and contentedly. Larger pieces, slower process. All for the show in June. March, April, May will be exciting. Well, okay, there'll be pangs of anxiety and stress, but I'll get over it. When I was a student, I convinced myself that I worked well under pressure. I'll go with that theme again.

I won't be posting any new paintings for some time. Instead, if you're so inclined, check out my paintings on Flickr. It's a great way to see the paintings at a glance, and get a better sense of my palette and designs I'm working with.