Featured Artist Tom O Scott

Photographer Tom O Scott finds inspiration for his beautiful abstractions in the aging, rusted bodies of old vehicles. Visit his website to see more of his amazing work.

 

“The Magician” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“The Magician” Photography, Various Sizes

 

As a child, I was surrounded with German Expressionist, Japanese, and Chinese art inside my house, and the mountains of Colorado on the outside. These became the stimuli for my art as a photographer five decades later.

 

“Campfire” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Campfire” Photography, Various Sizes

 

I started my career in abstracts with scenes created in the sand by the receding tides. What attracted me to this subject matter was the ephemeral nature of the image — these were patterns that would be washed away in a matter of hours.

 

“Sunrise at Freddy’s Truck Farm” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Sunrise at Freddy’s Truck Farm” Photography, Various Sizes

 

My latest passion over the past three years has been aging autos, trucks, and railroad cars found in museums and ghost towns around Southern California. Initially, what attracted me was the combination of texture and form.

 

“Gore Range Sunset” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Gore Range Sunset” Photography, Various Sizes

 

The more images I created, the more I found metaphors leaping out at me. First, there were spectacular landscapes that reminded me of Colorado.

 

“Cerberus Takes a Stroll” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Cerberus Takes a Stroll” Photography, Various Sizes

 

All sorts of animals made their appearance as I went on. Some of these came from mythology, which I loved as a child.

 

“Judgement Day” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Judgement Day” Photography, Various Sizes

 

The influence of German Expressionism and Chinese/Japanese art made itself manifest in many of my works.

 

“Whales at Play” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Whales at Play” Photography, Various Sizes

 

I am a big believer in metaphor. Whenever I go to an art gallery, I notice that the average amount of time a viewer spends with an image is about three seconds. A successful image to me is one that a) hasn’t been done thousands of times before; and b) engages the viewer’s imagination and interest for more than a fleeting moment.

 

“Ghost of a Miner” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Ghost of a Miner” Photography, Various Sizes

 

Metaphors that evoke landscapes, animals, human situations, mythology, humor, and cultural archetypes help me connect with the viewer. I consider the title of each work to be an integral and vital part of the creation. In fact, I have had viewers at exhibitions come up to me and thank me for the titles of my works.

 

“Angular Entropy” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Angular Entropy” Photography, Various Sizes

 

In reality, these images come from parts of vehicles that are only a few inches square, some the size of a quarter or less. I almost always use a macro lens to capture them, but for ones farther away, on the top of a railcar, for example, I employ a 600 mm lens typically used by wildlife photographers. I generally print my images on canvas, in sizes ranging from 24″ x 32″ to 30″ x 40″.

 

“Moonrise” Photography, Various Sizes by artist Tom O Scott. To see his portfolio visit www.ArtsyShark.com

“Moonrise” Photography, Various Sizes

 

Occasionally, I am asked, “Are those the real colors?” To me there is nothing noble in presenting a picture “as is.” I do not consider myself a documentarian. My aim is to create an image that represents the scene as I imagine it, and to that extent, I use the processing tools that most professional photographers use.

 

Artist Tom O Scott. See his portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

Artist Tom O Scott

 

This series has been featured in three solo exhibitions to date, and is in the private and corporate collections across the United States.

 

Artist Tom O Scott invites you to follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

 

Comments

  1. I love aging autos, trucks, and railroad cars, too. All that rust and peeling paint. I find it beautiful. I employ a lot of distressing in my metal art that represents aged metal.

    My favorite of Tom’s work above is Moonrise. Really interesting art!

    • Thanks, Paula, really appreciate your comment! I just wish there were more places where I could find these in Southern California. Moonrise comes from the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA. I brought my 600mm telephoto lens to get it, because it was about 10 feet up.

  2. I am “wowed” by CAMPFIRE! This is a serendipitous experience from my artistic awareness! How could so many elements “accidentally” show up to reveal one magnificent and enigmatic composition and gesture of nature?! This is a cocreation from God.

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