Skot MacDougall Painting Studio

Born On A Bayou Mural

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 17:39:00 +0000

News from Skots studio

Closeup shot of another children's mural at the same residence as the previous posted Tim Burton mural, this one for the boy's bed room , Junior's response seemed very curious and he didn't seem emotionally disturbed by the creatures of the Bayou enlisted for his mural's subjects, so I hope he enjoys it for years to come.
I remember being a kid and definitely having a fascination and curiosity with all the beautiful, strange and scary creatures mother nature gifted us with and I still do to this day....Sweet dreams junior~

Bluewater Health Childrens Murals

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:01:00 +0000

News from Skots studio
This summer I have been preoccupied with painting a series of murals I designed earlier in the year for the new children s ward at the new Bluewater Health Hospital Sarnia Ont, I was happy to accept the job sponsored thru the Bluewater Hospital Foundation that accepts private donations from individuals , corporations and groups etc...
I was asked to design and paint several interior murals , I thought a series that reflected the ideals of helping or caring for each other were relevant so I married that ideal with animal images always a hit with children, I enjoyed designing and drawing the concepts for each mural and it felt a little like illustrating a children s book , the Foundation and sponsor approved all the drawings notably the initial drawing for the mother giraffe and calf titled " Mothers Support" sealed the deal { final mural inset approx. 5' x 7 ' acrylic }
I was pleased with the smooth working relations and pleasant working environment within the new hospital with lots of natural light and friendly staff forever encouraging me along with lots of positive feedback.
I am honored to be part of this new children s ward for it encapsulates two important things to me, one being children s well being and the other our wonderful Canadian health care model that has been there for my family in difficult times, I think the addition of art works within any public space esp. a hospital can be very soothing ,inspiring and healing for it is created out of that within us that extends out to others and expresses notions of human passion and union, gifts we share with our self and others that make our world a little more brighter.
Skot July 31 MMX

Abstract Collective Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:58:00 +0000

News from Skots studio

I was invited to put an abstract Painting into Sarnia's Imperial Theater Lawton Gallery as part of an abstract collective together with other local painters.
The opening is June 4 th Friday between 5-7 pm , downtown Sarnia.

Among the other painters featured is a piece by my former Central Collegiate Institute Gr. 9 art teacher Sue Galos,this would be the first occasion our work will be exhibited together, she was a big support and encouraged my early high school art interests and thru her I received some of my first graphic art commissions, which was very cool at the time..I remember the commisioned posters, carried the theme "Stress in the workplace" sponsored by ironically Imperial Oil Canada.
Link here to Lawton Gallery

Juried LOOK SHOW 2010 Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:24:00 +0000

News from Skots studio

I have had an "Abstract Landscape" oil painting accepted this year into
Gallery Lambton's bi-annual Juried LOOK SHOW 2010.
I received an Honorable mention...and Iam honored.
View painting here
or scroll down on this post to Zoom window " Abstract Landscape"
* Opening March 5th Start 6pm - 9pm Friday
The Opening is part of the many cultural events that takes place every First Friday of each month downtown Sarnia.
The juried show is open to north Michigan U.S.A. and southern Ontario ,applicants... its sure to be a interesting multimedia event...I believe the show will run til May2 2010 located in the Bayside Mall Downtown Sarnia.
See Image below for address and contact info

Preparing the way....

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:25:00 +0000

Notes from Skots studio

I have spent these recent cold months often hidden in the studio preparing new canvas's,arranging for a better studio to paint in, along with projects on colour space models ....observing various known models and how my own models relate or differ..

Being self taught as is my story,seems to have its pros and cons... sometimes an original approach or direction may develop adding to what is already known in a positive direction .

However much time can be wasted to "reinventing the wheel",... so the purpose of school , to receive sound direction, save time,costs and to have access to the known resources ,... I would recommend a student study from those that have results of their knowledge,visual painting and drawing requires an awareness of the spatial qualities or lack of in a work...., a teacher cannot help you overcome obstacles if they themselves do not see how to make a painting /drawing work spatially.
Do not invest your study time following trends, and do not worry about being original while learning to draw and paint, an art education is brief and costly ,...focus on understanding the fundamentals or tools of the trade,strive and inquire about all that may concern creating a drawing /painting in a correct visual fashion,.. originality or creative direction comes with time and work...these tools will help solve many problems and will open the doors towards your passion .

Creative passion needs to be harnessed with the skills and understanding that the fundamentals offer enabling the student to give" legs" to their creative ideas and observations .

Difficulty starts in a work when you lose track of what you "see" happening over to thoughts of what you "think" is happening .
Problems that arise in painting/ drawing are going to be a visual mistakes in spatial relations,and not an expressive one, which is subjective.

Seeing is one of the 5 senses that is hopefully granted... yet not always developed in each of us, as also applied to the other 5 senses such as hearing... a musician requires a developed sense of hearing to construct music... the sense of taste required in food combining, another developed sense that a chef requires....all these senses take time to develop to be fully utilized.
Eventually through trial and error I taught myself how to achieve better results in my work.
The breakthrough came by letting go of subject importance and replacing it with observation of each brush stroke or mark, connecting them together to create the illusion of space,I replaced expectations of what I think should happen ..with observing what actually is happening as I lay marks in paint on canvas, This new approach to painting marks the turning point towards seeing more accurately spatially therefore more crystallizing what truly inspires me to draw or paint.

I call these new paintings"Daydreamscapes" I relate that of coarse to daydreaming ,...to me is a time out in the planning day when you sit still and and allow your mind to contemplate the moment, away from all the shoulds planned out ahead ... its the place to recharge , regroup and allow "what is" transpire over "what should" . Switching the minds focus from language and symbols to direct connection to the visual part of the brain this will help focus stay in the present and not wonder to language mode or symbols.
The key in"finding the moment" is focusing on the purpose for the mark... purpose for me is to create an illusion of form in space, done thru observing each mark I make and seeing if it sits behind, in front of or beside the other marks relating to it.
In earlier pieces the focus seems to switch back and forth to the different brain areas or purpose....

"Daydreamscapes" in essence is embracing what works for me in approaching a drawing or painting reflecting and defining more of where I draw inspiration from ...which to me is part of the motivation to draw and paint, that of self reflection and understanding within the world we know...and perhaps beyond the known.

I first exhibited my new approach to painting in 2004 at Gallery Lambton , Sarnia Canada.
Here I attempt to capture most what inspires AND allows me to stay focused on each brush stroke, a state of being in the moment as is often said, here is the place where my creativity lives revealing infinite possibilities for my creative passion.

new oils

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

News from Skots current events Link Here Recent oils both from life and imagined...or as I call them "Daydreamscapes"

Coming Aug 4 - 14 Childrens art classes at Gallery Lambton

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:57:00 +0000

News from Skots current events

Link to Gallery Lambton Sarnia art classes, Individual workshop topics and dates available soon.

Art Start, get a head start on art fundamentals.

Introducing budding artists essential visual art principals,designed to help beginners overcome obstacles that they may face on the road to their creative expression.
Topics include perspective, creating light and shadow, mixing and finding all colours using the colour wheel , creating 3D design, and painting introduction with acrylics.
Workshops are comprised of lecture, demostration and a final dynamic student project encompassing the days lesson.
These 9 workshops of 2 hours each may be taken individually or all together for a more comphrehensive whole in early art education.Projects are suited to all age levels.
My belief concerning teaching children "art stuff" is that the arts are a universal language, and like language becomes more refined and fluent when introduced as early as possible.GO TO MORE INFO HERE

Teaching News Article Link

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:41:00 +0000

News from Skots Studio Works and Journal.
This years art classes for local Lambton County schools has been another great expierience for me as I introduce some more art fundamentals aimed at the elementary level, Although the project was more challenging then last years, that was the goal
to bring the benefits of being focused on a spacial concepts in drawing and painting , using visualization and hand eye coordination excercises students were turning simple shapes into 3D designs.
Sarnia This Week was kind to do another article on the annual event and Iam pround to have been invited to share in the art programs sponsored by Gallery in the Grove , Brights Grove
Read the article here

Cube Project and Focusing

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:19:00 +0000

This photo is from this years V.A.L.S. art classes in elementary schools of Lambton area, I challenged the students with duplicating the cube design and painting the different planes ,with different shades . The project was about developing awareness of staying focused on drawing the cube and connecting pattern, this requires focus to to get best results and a good brain exercise to develop hand /eye skills , which is the first hurdle a student faces, to draw what they intend, for this project , keeping a uniform pattern made of vertical, horizontal and all same angle lines, this proved and revealed much about each students level!
for the most part the girls had the best results, with uniform patterns ,and clean painting skills, also there is a connection between those with good results and keeping focused or quiet! the boys seemed to be more social or less focused on a single idea,...which is crucial for any learning,I think that boys and girls need to be educated separately and with different approaches for the most part.
However there are usually a few , either boy or girl that do exceptional and go beyond any expectations outlined in the project and take it to the next level,[this probably relates to natural abilitity and should be acknowledged.]
which is a logical process when these skills are absorbed or fully understood and are applied, this tells much of a students level and potential in focusing and comprehending these visual theories taught through application and for immediate application creating the necessary expieriece which instills the lessons in memory.

Art Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:15:00 +0000

"The 3D Box"
Lessons in creating 3D patterns project.
Part of the program I developed for this years art project ,is to introduce students to creating 3D planes on boxes and cubes using paint to create light and dark shades to describe space.

I was asked to join the annual V.A.L.S. art program again this year [V.AL.S. stands for Visiting Artists in Lambton Schools]...It is nice to be invited back and to share my visual art theory and projects at the public school level, to me this is a crucial age to get children involved in learning art stuff!
I hope to bring in challenging and dynamic lessons and projects for kids, there minds are open and need to be exposed to the vast information to inspire them creativly.
Children perhaps are underestimated on their abilities and can learn art lessons that are usually only taught at the secondary school level, I believe its because of the nature of the lessons themselves,designed for direct sensory connection to the 5 senses , that children learn first from, its not subject to abstract subjective pondering, either it looks or sounds, inspiring or not. either the lesson is understood or not being focused or inspired is its measure of success on the students reapplication, from that which was taught through application.
This may be key in connecting with the information, also the immediate sensory experience becomes a tangible thing that has application and laws... this goes for all manner of things, from learning to play an instrument to building a bird house.
Hands on projects are key in teaching I believe.
Art is a language, it communicates many things as does written language, yet transcends words that are mere symbols for things or ideas that may still be subjective, unknown or lost through time/ tradition.
I present ideas through projects based on visual principals.
Therefore I see the visual arts education as a real hands on skills development and visually formatted teaching platform, and hope to develop with the schools, programs that get results and inspire students and teachers alike.
Skot

Lawrence House photos Sept 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:48:00 +0000

News from Skots Studio Works and Journal.

The interior of the Lawrence House is very elegant and warm and I thought it would make for a nice father and son portrait by the fireplace, all we needed was a fire and a snifter of brandy , I enjoy our eclectic talks on all matter of things including the arts.
The opening on Sept 5 th 2008 was well recieved,evidently a record for the Lawrence House ,including sales, I think its a good place for a "house party"I put most of my paintings in the upstairs Turret Room which was nice, I like the stained glass windows casting their golden light thru the room, and the victorian furniture added warmth and comfort to the show, mixed in with Fathers multi media pieces, gave the House a real eclectic ,serendipity feel, lots of different stuff from our past and present , Father show entitled "Old N New", seemed to capture the essence of both our shows in this Victorian Mansion, recently restored to new appeal and use for the arts.
Many old and new friends came out along with a big family turnout, quite a few surprises too, Special moments included my grandmother's smilin face and beautiful acoustic songs from Jim Chevalier,I like to thank all those that joined in this special occasion of Father and son first exhibition together, and perhaps we can do it again in the future, I'll post more photos from the show and maybe a video soon.HERES A LINK TO SOME PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW

Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Here are two drawings from Nov. 2007 These are relevant to the coming Sept exhibit which is a continuance of that Nov exhibit,further exploring my reponses toward natures mysteries, which for me stimulates my imagination to perhaps do a drawing or painting. Mystery seems to be a continual source of inspiration for me, and nature carries all that, plus its full of wonderful colours, design, structure and texture, I fuse my imagination with what nature's beauty offers my senses, to express this visually intoxicating, and hypnotising effect on my imagination, Perhaps I am seeking to take myself and the viewer into natural spaces deep into unknown or hidden santums,where imagination lives.

Poster "Still and Life " exhibit 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:15:00 +0000

Your Invited Sept 2008 Art Exhibits
Work by Bill Arnold & Skot MacDougall

For more information and Directions to the Lawrence House visit Skots Studio Journal

Artist Statement "Still and Life " exhibit 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:56:00 +0000

Skot MacDougall
New oil paintings
“Still & Life”

Artists Statement:

New oil paintings from 2008, ponderings of natures secrets with a influence of my formative years engrossed in natural sciences , I collected stones and bones and read biology texts, I was fascinated by natural structure, colour , texture, and the mystery of the whole big picture. There’s a melding of science and imagination in the work, both the subject matter and in my approach to oil painting.
This balance gives my imagination visual legs to stand on and to draw inspiration from.
I tend to see the” bigger picture” of my self after completing several” smaller pictures.”Skot MacDougall Aug. 2008

Artist Statement " Things Hidden and Revealed exhibit 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Entrance to Gallery Lambton featuring my exhibit
"Things Hidden and Revealed"

November 7 to December 8,2007

Artist Statement

I am presenting a series of new paintings, for me they have captured the feeling of an inviting and hypnotizing landscape abound with crevices, nooks and sunfilled caverns, revealing some secret hidden spot. Viewing all the paintings together I recognized a common thread and also my creative process was revealed. Simply put: As the paintings express I am continualy being drawn into and inspired by the mysterious world of nature.
I believe that mystery, stirs my imagination which is my creative self, and this is the state of mind where my little discoveries or ideas are realized, and with new discoveries come new mysteries which completes the cycle.
Offering an infinite source of new imaginative thinking, So in essence, although the paintings are pure fantasy imaginings (daydreamscapes), ...my inspiration is rooted in the natural world. I may not have discovered any of mother natures secrets, but I enjoyed painting them and I may have discovered something about myself.

Skot MacDougall November 2007

Poster

noreply@blogger.com (Skot MacDougall) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:49:00 +0000

Promotion Poster for my last exhibit of paintings shown Nov. 2007 at Gallery Lambton Sarnia Ontario.

The work from this last exhibit is relevant to my upcoming exhibit since it is a continuation of explored themes of my love affair with the " mystery of the natural world ". The work speaks for itself , of its inspirational effects on my painting.