I Paint Atmospheric Abstractions

I believe the artist’s job is to make others see the world differently, creating unique art. I get my art inspiration by flying a drone across the Scottish landscape. At first, the drone was simply another way to literally look at the world differently and to expand the possibilities of impossible vantage points. Latterly, the abstract forms that revealed themselves from aerial view began to resemble mark making I used to describe foreground at ground level, bringing about a theme of fractals. I then went on to produce a body of abstract art I called ‘fractal landscape,’ where altitude became ambiguous. The viewer would then question whether or not it might be an aerial photo or ground-level view.

I am constantly questioning what I see. Molecular physics does the same. In the study of particle physics, we can go beyond what the eye sees. Colour is a figment of our imagination designed to decipher different wavelengths of light, but only within the confines of the visible spectrum. Our hearing does the same with sound within audible parameters. Our brains decode the world around us in a way which allows us to function within it.

My colorful paintings are not designed for the viewer to function within it; their purpose is to stimulate a different response, to excite and ask questions as opposed to answering them. We cannot corroborate our experience of color with another of our senses. We can’t touch or hear or smell the differences in it. This makes it ideal for me to experiment with the beauty of color with the freedom of realizing my brain’s limited perception of it. I often like to think of what we were to see if the resonant sounds were perceived in color.

My YouTube channel provides an opportunity to see drone footage on location and behind the scenes studio footage. My unique take on color theory and drawing ideas is outlined in my video, ‘The Truth about the Colour Wheel.’ To date, my YouTube channel has had over 3.3 million views.

More info: scottnaismith.com | youtube.com