About – Scott Mackenzie Studio

About Me

I live a create life. I use my talent and creativity each and every day. I have been blessed to be able to use my talent in various ways. It is only a natural path for me that I would become a graphic designer and do that as a career. You can see that here.

I have been drawing since I was a kid. I had parental support to help cultivate my talent. I have had no formal training in art.

I have been painting since high school and have sold many pieces of work over the years. I just paint what appeals to me. In the last 10 years or so I have been painting subjects that appeal to the challenge or just strike me and I know I have to paint it. I have always enjoyed painting glass and water. I like the complexity of capturing the reflections and what you can see behind or thru it. Very challenging to get it right, and tedious. Strange how I have the endless patience for intricate detail but no patience for a computer that doesn’t work the way it should.

For many years I mainly worked in pastel chalk, I enjoyed (and still do) making my work look like a photo, or in the art world, hyperrealism. For me there is a great challenge in painting exactly what I see. I can draw or paint anything I see. I am working to loosen up my hand and make things more painterly, where you can see layers of color , brush strokes and even the underpainting. It’s hard when your whole career you have done something one way. I think that trying new styles helps you grow as an artist. I have worked in pastel chalk, watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, oil, and other various ways to create.

An Artist Life

Inspiration

For me, inspiration lives within. I love to paint, draw and be creative. I enjoy going to art festivals and galleries to see other artists’ work. Doing so keeps me motivated to keep pursuing my career in fine art. And it internally tells me that I can do the same as those people I admire. I draw some form of inspiration from artists I like. It’s either a photographer or an artist that is creating in a style other than mine. I think my creative tank gets filled by getting out and being in nature.

The Future

I moved to Montana to pursue my art career. I wanted to be surrounded by mountains, rivers, fresh air, eagles and other wildlife. I still plan on painting subject matters that appeal to me. I have years of ideas I could steadily produce. I hope to work on other styles other than realism. I am drawn to the looser painterly look, a mix of modern touches with realism, I also like to explore simpler shapes, maybe even more of a blocking in. I even have ideas of a graphical style. I am excited to get my work in front of people and see where it goes.

Hobbies and Interest

Outside of being an artist I enjoy doing photography with either a camera or a drone. It is a whole other set of creative skills. I like to take pictures with the thought of having an archive of photos I can paint from, the painting of the old house infront of the mountain was from a photo I shot.

I also enjoy hiking and being in nature. There’s something about hiking in beautiful places, smelling the air, hearing the birds, looking off in the distance, and seeing majestic mountains or rock cliffs. Or standing on a mountain top and looking in every direction and seeing a vast wonderland.

Other Creative Outlets

As I have stated prior I not only paint I do so much more. I have aligned my creative talent to many areas that has created a unique career path. I have worked in the sign industry back when we use to hand paint. I have airbrushed, I tattooed for 27 years, I have designed landscaping. I have and still enjoy working with clients on home remodeling projects. Helping them rethink the living space and redesigning with them. Picking out materials and sketching and even producing polished designs to submit to the city or contractors. I still work as a visual designer with a focus on branding. I also do User Experience for digital products. I have started a clothing company to produce some of my ideas. I have done so many things creatively. And I feel very blessed to be able to use my talent to create a unique career.

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."

— Maya Angelou —