We were lucky to catch up with Scott w. Prior recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott w. , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I realized the “regular” 9-5 world wasn’t for me, basically when SDSU kindly asked me to leave because of my crappy grades. I’d always been drawing/painting, so my mom suggested I take a couple art classes at our local junior college and I knew right away that these were my people. So I switched my major to Fine Art/Illustration and ended up going to art school at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Basically, I’m a classically trained Fine Artist who paints in a “traditional” or “representational” style of painting, who has won a few awards here and there along the way. More or less I’m an Impressionist, technically a Post-Impressionist.

I studied Illustration and Painting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. After graduating the AAU in ’97, I tried getting work as a background painter in animation interviewing with Disney and other studios. At the same time I was showing my portfolio around to advertising agencies getting little side jobs doing production illustration. Back then the illustration world and the big advertising agencies changed because of the computer and clip art, so I was basically out of those industries. Constantly hustling I ended up getting a job at the Palos Verdes Art Center hanging shows doing odd jobs which finally led to me teaching there. One of my students at PVAC introduced me to the California Art Club, the oldest traditional art club west of the Mississippi River, established in 1908. I got juried in with them as an artist member and my career as a fine artist started.

Today, I pretty much paint for myself, painting what turns me on and am more known for my urban paintings. A lot of times I see something like a street corner or an old car, where the light and composition are working, then I paint it, editing the scene here and there making the composition stronger. Sometimes it’s just an idea and I do some rough sketches to see if the idea will work out, then I’ll go out and get reference photos and put the idea to canvas. It just depends, there’s usually a plan. I also paint commissions for clients, everything from portraits to someone’s favorite beach or vacation spot. Painting commissions for me is similar to doing illustration work, which is fun for me now a days. Back when I first started doing them it was almost painful to paint them.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

That’s an easy one. Buy art from artists. Get out and go see shows at local galleries or maybe go to a museum if that makes you feel more comfortable. Just get out there and maybe meet the artists, ask us questions we love that! . You know, support the arts by showing up. Don’t be scared it’s just ART. Take the kids with you and make it a game where they find their favorite piece and talk about it over ice cream afterwards..

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Freedom to be me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.scottwprior.com/
• Instagram: @scottwprior
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.w.prior
• Twitter: @scottwprior