SCOTT PRIOR BOOTH AT SUNRISE
SCOTT PRIOR PAINTER INTERVIEW BY H.CANDEE
Harryet: How are you feeling about your show at the Train Station in Stockbridge, MA. This summer? Scott Prior: I am very proud to be part of the River Art Project. Jim Schantz and Kim Saul should be commended for calling attention to the environmental concerns around the Hudson and Housatonic Rivers, as well as for the repurposing of the old Victorian-style train station into an art gallery. I did my paintings specifically for the show, depicting the rivers and landscape of the Berkshires. I am also pleased to be the first artist offered a one-person exhibition in the space.
artist you are today? Scott: Until I reached Calculus in college, I thought I was going to be an astronomer. In high school I built telescopes, photographed the stars and went so far as to get the first prize in physics at the Massachusetts state science fair in 1966. But Calculus stopped me dead in my tracks, so I switched my major to art. I had always enjoyed doing art and was a pretty good at it. I have always connected my interest in astronomy and the natural world with my inclination to make pictures. Many years ago, the great Renaissance artists were also scientists and thinkers. Think Leonardo and Michelangelo.
Scott: My paintings range from small ones that I may complete in a day, to large ones that will take months to complete. My inspiration for a painting may come out of a momentary visual encounter. Sometimes I have large concepts for paintings and a lot of planning and preparation go into realizing the finished painting. All of my paintings are about the world I see and know. That would be the places where I live, Western Massachusetts and sometimes Cape Cod. My figurative work is inspired by my family. I find I do not have to wander far afield for inspiration. I’ve always liked Thoreau’s quote from Walden: “I have traveled a good deal…in Concord…”
What were the turn of events, decisions and challenges that lead you to becoming the
How do you figure and plan the subject matter for a painting?
Scott, what process and medium do you work in?
28 •AUGUST 2019 THE ARTFUL MIND
