Scott Naismith is a Scottish contemporary landscape artist, who paints unique and colourful abstract paintings.
With the ambition to become an artist, Scott studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee. In June 2000 he left with a BDes in Illustration and printmaking. Since graduating Scott has been a full time artist, working from his studio in Glasgow. Much of his time is spent travelling around the country looking for inspiration for another depiction of the Scottish landscape. The many lochs, glens and isles of the West coast are amongst his favourite subject matter for his vibrant and atmospheric oils. Scott has been lecturing part time since 2004 and now lectures one day a week at the creative arts department of West College Scotland.
Scott uses vivid colours in a vigorous application to represent the fast changing light conditions of the West coast of Scotland. Colour use often becomes an entirely emotional response to the subject while values can remain representational. The love he has for his native Scottish countryside is portrayed in his work through an ebullient energy with which he handles the colour with palette knife and brush.
After 10 years of painting the Scottish landscape, my recent work now becomes more involved with cloud cover and its effect on light and colour through both its translucent and opaque properties. Clouds are visible masses of water droplets or frozen ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere . They have the ability to refract and reflect, creating an ever changing perception of light which inspires my use of colour.
“I am constantly referring to the paradox of a cloud’s perceived weight and its fragility and the relationship between the cool and warm colours created by it. I have become increasingly interested in catching the moment when heavy overcast clears to reveal clear blue sky, a cool colour that complements the warmth it brings. While the most obvious manifestation of light refraction at this time would occur in the form of a rainbow, I will be concerned with accentuating the infinite, more subtle effects.
I find myself inspired increasingly by the works of Turner, who created ephemeral atmospheric effects using large washes of liquid paint. Other influences include Nicolas de Stael, Willem de Kooning, Samuel Peploe, Francis Cadell, Glasgow boys: Guthrie Lavery, Henry… and Joan Eardley.”
