Paintings and Drawings by Scott McIntire
Jamesport, NY, The William Ris Gallery is pleased to present Seen and Unseen: Paintings and Drawings by Scott McIntire, a solo exhibition of 40 paintings and drawings that explore the interconnection of art, nature and science and the environmental effects of technology.
Scott McIntire, (b. 1945, Salem, Oregon, lives and works in Greenport and Brooklyn, NY), is at the forefront of the environmentally conscious SciArt movement of today. He focuses on the natural world, that he loves, and its cohabitation with energy fields - cellular transmission, radio waves, animal sounds, subatomic particles and microbiome. His paintings transport the viewer into a botanical and zoological paradise while also conveying the effects of climate change and the eminent ecological transformation of the North Fork, due to agricultural and housing development.
The meticulously rendered insects, flowers, trees, mammals and birds, intertwined in McIntire’s imagery, live in the backyard of his Greenport home. In 2013 he completed a photographic record of his animal kingdom and published Backyard Project. “When I photograph a subject for painting I am aware of sounds, smells and activity around the image. At the same time I have a cell phone in my pocket that is receiving invisible signals through the air and competing with an array of radio, television and electromagnetic transmissions” writes McIntire.
Joining his fauna are his characteristic “Op Art” rendition of energy fields - McIntire is a virtuoso; he creates kinetic energy through the optical illusion of concentric circles, spiraling ovals and the use of intense pigments found in water based enamel paint.
His message is all-powerful - He wants his viewers to understand that our world is a multilayered with changing observational realities: man-made and natural, physical and metaphysically.
Scott McIntire is nationally acclaimed artist his work in included in many private and public collections. He attended the Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA and Portland State University, Portland, OR and taught at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR until 1983. He studied industrial color with the master colorist Albert King, which he credits a major influence.
Reviews
“One of the most striking aspects of the paintings is the precision of McIntire’s renderings of what seems to be a botanical and zoological paradise, and the artworks, frequently titled with the names of the flora and fauna they feature, operate as a sort of field guide.”...”The drawings of cacti and birch trees showcase McIntire’s skilled draftsmanship.”
Hamptons Art Hub
“How wonderfully rare an experience to find an exhibition of Contemporary art, right here on the North Fork in a space of such character, that is as rich in both thought and visual pleasure as this generous selection of Scott McIntire’s latest paintings. Here is an artist with something major to say, and the major-league technique that ensures that the message is delivered with panache and beauty. A deeply rewarding experience.”
Director, Nassau County Museum of Art
“With a focus on flora and insects, McIntire highlights the species that are easy to overlook through overlaid compositions informed by design principles, color theory, and Op Art, McIntire’s work is meticulous, thoughtful, and wildly colorful - he gives a unique and scientifically informed update to the practice of painter’s looking to the natural world for subject and inspiration”
Editor-in-Chief, SciArt Magazine