Artospective: Figurative Paintings by O'Neil Scott.

Second Citizen 2017 Oil On Panel 18X24

An Interview with O'Neil Scott.

Who and where are you from?

I was born in Jamaica and came to America when I was 5 years old. I grew up in Camden NJ and I currently live and work just outside of Philadelphia PA.

How you got into this?

Growing up my grandfather was an architect and my uncle was always drawing me something. This is how I got captivated with art. I began drawing portraits out of magazines as a kid and it grew to me drawing friends and family members. In college, I had hoped to study art. But I’d been awarded a football scholarship from Syracuse University and therefore had to prioritize my activities, which meant dropping my studio courses since they conflicted with the school’s training schedule. While I

ended up majoring in Information Technology and then later earned my MBA at the University of Delaware, I never lost my passion for art. Rather, it remains a vehicle that I continue to utilize as a means to give voice to my innermost concerns.

What is your driving force?

There is an emptiness that takes over me when I’m not painting or creating something. Painting amplifies my voices and keeps my life purposeful

What kind of work you do and why?

My work is realism. I work with oil paint mainly on portrait/ figurative subject matter with a few contemporary still life paintings sprinkled in. All of the work usually has a deeper meaning, many of them filled with social and political commentary. I want my paintings to invoke mindfulness, to inspire contemplation, and to convey understanding.

Tell us more about your thought process.

I usually start with an idea that is constantly on my mind or is tugging at me in a specific way. I do lots of thumbnail sketches to work out the composition. Once I start painting it is very hard for me to make changes and decisions so I try to have that mapped out first. When painting I am constantly thinking about the mood of the painting and how the viewer will interpret the work.

Please share with us the one modern artist whose work you find Interesting and why?

A contemporary artist I can never stop studying is Mario Robinson. Most of his paintings are in watercolor but the mood and feeling of his painting are unmatched in contemporary realism. It is hard to imagine someone being that good in water color because I feel it is one of the hardest mediums to work in.