SF Art Speaks: An Interview with Scott Mickelson
* 4 Miners, by Scott Mickelson, oil on canvas, 30″ x 48″ *
Scott Miceklson is a Bay Area artist whose past few years have been devoted to a series of paintings of coal miners. Using commonality in the faces of the miners, objects of the trade as icons and unique colors to draw attention to areas of the story behind the art, Mickelson has created a body of work which gives attention to an area of America’s history which is often overlooked. He supports his drive towards creating art with a career in illustration, developing the ideas of others into digital files which compliment articles or other pieces of work. In this SFV interview, he shares more about both types of his art and tells us about his mixed feelings about working as an artist in San Francisco.
What can you tell us about the basics of your artwork? My most recent work is a series of paintings of Coal Miners. After researching, I found a commonality in the faces regardless of age or race. After five challenging months, the first (Blue Miner) was completed. I then knew that it was the beginning of an exploration; it’s one which has lasted over two years. The related objects (helmets, gloves, lanterns) blossomed into icons and the nod to “Americana” also intrigued me. The faces of the miners reflected a sense of hardship. I tempered this hardship with color. As the series continued, I became more and more fascinated with pushing color away from traditional lighting and temperature. Purple jackets, raceless faces and pink lanterns are unexpected in paintings of coal miners. I strive to create works that are visually beautiful, even if the subject matter would not naturally be.
What other projects are you working on now? I am interested in playing with the notion of Voyeurism–no not that kind. After reading an article on private school sexual abuse I created a image of 3 schoolgirls lined up outside of a dark doorway. The eyes are not included in the composition as they would dominate the storytelling of the work. Reduction is now an important ingredient in that I am selecting particular areas to show, in this case the mouths, collars and hands, and I’m whiting out the remainder of painting, allowing roughly 5% of the well-rendered underpainting to show through. I want to further direct where and what the viewer sees.
Can you describe how your fine art pieces differ from your illustrations? I get asked that a lot. Firstly, illustrations are created for reproduction like magazines, posters, etc. I am usually assigned a particular idea to develop that accompanies an article. Although I begin with a compositional drawing which needs to be approved by the Art Director that hired me, I render most of the work digitally knowing that it must be able to print well and work in the format given. My illustrations exist as a digital file. In fine art, I paint what I want, when I want and hope that others will respond favorably. What they have in common is that most of my themes are editorial and narrative in nature. I don’t make pretty pictures and I am not interested in abstraction at this point in my development.
What art goals do you have for yourself? Like a billion other artists, I want to have gallery representation with art dealers that believe in what I am doing. Artistically, I would like to feel that I have “landed” in a concept/style that ultimately defines me. This takes years to develop and it will unfold with each painting.
Do you have a favorite gallery in San Francisco? I do not have a favorite at this point but I will say that the dealers I spoken with have been really kind and supportive.
How does the city inspire or affect your art? There are pros and cons. I like how S.F. is wide open to any kind of expression (politically, environmentally, socially) and I could live nowhere else. I am proud to raise my daughter here. On the other side, it sometimes feel too trendy in that if it is not “the scene” then it’s no good. Earlier in my life I was a recording artist and when we would tour around the country we would find that SF was not as open and engaging as other cities. Even major cities like Boston, NYC and LA were a ball to perform in.
What do you think the average visitor to San Francisco should know about the art scene here? It’s very San Francisco.
Where can you be found when you’re just out and about in the city? I live in Cole Valley so I am seen a lot around here but when we go out we walk down to the Mission, North Beach, Clement street for sushi, and we head over the bridge to Pt. Reyes and other areas for natural beauty.
Where can we see your work? Last year I was in several juried exhibitions and hope to be in more this summer. For now, please visit my site at www.toymonkeydesign.com.
What advice do you have for emerging artists? I am still an emerging artist myself but I would say if you want to be a painter, then paint; if you want to be a writer, then write! Sometimes people are more concerned with the end result than the journey and ultimately the journey is all there is.
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