Michelle Scott
Biography
Born and raised in Kennesaw Georgia, Michelle Scott takes pride in being a "Georgia Peach". With a constant supply of offbeat materials at her fingertips, her early art helped to establish her hands-on manner of working. She has always been fascinated by human interactions and characteristics. Briefly studying Psychology before diving head first into an art degree, her art interest has persisted since her earliest childhood drawings.
During her college years, Michelle developed an interest in learning more about other cultures. Her resourceful nature helped her to obtain travel opportunities around the world. Her recent body of work reflects a life-changing trip to southern Sudan. The relationships developed there help to create a more complex dynamic between artist and subject. No longer just a classic portrait, stories unfold through the extensive layers of paint and paper collage as the souls of her subjects are revealed.
Michelle began her career as an artist at the age of 21 with her first solo show at a small venue in Atlanta. Ever since, she has been relentless in her pursuit of the arts, gaining a steady stream of collectors and representation along the way. In 2008 she was honored with the Curator's Choice Award at the nationally acclaimed Chicago Art Open exhibition. Her most recent publication includes a featured article in Visual Overture Magazine as well as a short exert in the Chicago Tribune for her work done on the Mile of Murals in 2010. She is currently residing in Kennesaw, GA
Statement
I believe life dictates art. Everything I produce is a
product of a certain experience. The source can always be traced back to the individual I encounter. Man is simply not intended to be disconnected from others. Through relationships we gain our most valuable insights. I build this connection through the process of creating a portrait. We are meant to be in community, to invest in others' lives, and to be a part of many stories along the way.
Each piece is involved in an intimate process and is extremely hands on and textural, containing layers upon layers of mixed media. I make art for people to ultimately have an enjoyable experience. I want the viewer to stop, if only for a few moments, and get lost in they eyes of one of my subjects. If it offers them a brief reprieve from the world around us, then I consider it a job well done.
Within my most recent body of work, I focused on a few individuals I met while growing up in Georgia, to encounters with inspiring individuals during my travels through a small village in Southern Sudan. As a tribute to my grandfather Rey Scott, some of my portraits have also included a few of his powerful images from his time spent filming in China, on his Academy Award Winning film "Kukan". His images grabbed me in a way that I could not ignore and I felt called to bring them into this generation.
I invite the viewer to delight in the same things that I did when I first laid eyes on these individuals. It is my hope that that the paintings I create will live up to the old Chinese proverb and be "worth a thousand words."
