We recently connected with Scott Partridge and have shared our conversation below.
Scott, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Many projects were / are meaningful to me in different ways, but I’ll mention one that is a personal project called the AVE or Avian Vector Encyclopedia, an illustrated catalog of all living and recently extinct bird species – about 10,000 or more.
This began in earnest around the time of the pandemic, and gave me something to work on every day for over a year. I liked the idea of setting up a difficult challenge for myself and seeing if I could complete it. I’m goal-directed, so I remained motivated to complete the task. I believe I’m only person to depict every bird species and compile them in one place, but even if not, I’m proud of the accomplishment. I consider it a work in progress still, as new species continue to be discovered, and taxonomies refined. And it’s riddled with small errors that I weed out as they’re found, often with the help of bird enthusiasts.
The work can be seen here: https://jevaart.com/artworkave.htm
Scott, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m most known for illustrations of birds and other natural history subjects done in a modern, partially geometric style reminiscent of Charley Harper, a master of 20th Century Modern illustration.
My work is inspired as well by my walks in, and observations of nature. Communing with the outdoors is an important part of my mental and physical health. The forms and patterns I see in plants and animals make their way into my compositions.
I think when people connect to the work they see characters and personalities in my subjects, or can relate something I’ve depicted to a part of their own personal narratives. I think of myself as both an artist and an illustrator since I try to create ways to express my own personal experience, but also hope to give life to the stories of others though what I’ve done.
Have you ever had to pivot?
For many years I worked at various day jobs. When I quit my last job, I didn’t have a plan or much to fall back on. I just felt unable to continue. I assumed I would have to find a different 9 to 5. But nothing came up – or rather maybe my heart wasn’t in the search. As the months went on I had to borrow money (or accept gifts) to stay afloat, but the whole time I was making art, connecting with local art groups, venues, and individual artists. I explored a variety of avenues that didn’t pan out and some that did, but always continued to learn and gain experience. Little by little I began to pay off my debts. I started identifying as self-employed instead of unemployed and had the gratifying experience of deciding to write “artist” for the first time when a form asked for an occupation.
I wouldn’t advise anyone to take this route exactly. but this is how I transitioned to my current career.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want to make things that last and become part of the story we’re all telling about the amazing journey of humankind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jevaart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottpartridgeart/
- Other: My online store: https://jevaartprints.square.site/ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/scottpartridge
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Christina Welsh