"Scott deconstructs the world around us. Where one might see the edge of a forest or a busy downtown street, Scott envisions a mix of sleek and organic polygons. By simplifying the forms around us and repurposing old materials, he encourages us to consider the basic and enduring qualities of modern aesthetics. What's modern, what is the definition of new? All the while, his work commands lasting attention with its dynamic and balanced compositions.
Scott is meticulous. I am continually impressed by the level of quality and attention to detail he strives for in his superbly designed wall sculptures and paintings. In the years I have known him, he has proven to be one of the most professional and hard-working artists we've represented at UGallery."
Alex Farkas
Gallery Director- UGallery.com
Born. 1971 Philadelphia, PA
ARTIST STATEMENT
I predominately work with wood as my base medium, due to its strength, dimension and organic nature. The inherent texture of wood combined with paint and other man made materials allow me to explore the concepts of old and young, worn versus new, organic versus man-made and the past versus the present and future. I look to capture a sense of time in my work and often combine the feeling of different eras within a single piece. I see this as a direct parallel with human life, as we too grow older and interact with other generations, both younger and older.
I am also particularly interested in items that were considered technologically or aesthetically advanced, only to be passed on by the consistency and tenacity of time. For example, an airplane boneyard where cutting edge fighter jets from the 60’s sit in forgotten decay. They are still beautiful to look at from a design standpoint, even though these are no longer “modern” in the sense that time and technology has passed them by.
I particularly inspired by mid-century modernism, where wood and organic shapes were combined with other materials to suggest a type of futurism, though now they are considered vintage. Time has passed on but these pieces remain in that context of when they were designed. I want my work feel this way, somewhat nostalgic, aged and organic with the feeling that it could also be from a future time.
MY PROCESS
As a purely abstract artist, I explore form, line, color, shape, texture and mass. Since I am usually not relying on a recognizable object in my work, I create through the process itself. I start out with a sketch or design and work through the creative process, hands on. My pieces always take several weeks to finish as I constantly change them, until they just feel right. I really like to give my pieces a feeling of juxtaposition and a balance of opposites, in terms of textures and materials. For example, I will combine a recycled 60 year old cherry table top with a piece of modern manufactured Azek decking. The ideas of young/old, past and future, modern versus outdated, technology, nostalgia and futurism all seem to find a place in my work. I also believe this ties into a distinctly human theme. For example, you can pinpoint a person’s age by the technology they grew up with (Black and white TV, Rotary phone, landlines, etc.).
CORPORATE / HOSPITALITY COLLECTIONS
The Shard Building-London
Hotel Del Coronado- San Diego
Westin Hotels
Wyndham Hotels
Embassy Suites Hotels
Marriot Hotels
Hilton Hotels
The View II at Temple University
Pudue University
Four Seasons Hotel Group
Capitol One Corporate Headquarters
Price Waterhouse Cooper
NIKO Residential Building, NY
Catalina Laredo Restaurant Group
Price WaterHouse Cooper
J Alexander's Restaurant Group
Joe Flacco- NFL Quarterback
The Hotel Del Coronado
Live Casino, Philadelphia
Cira Center, Philadelphia
GALLERY REPRESENTATION:
GALLERY BRUNO MASSA- PARIS, FRANCE, ASIA
PARLOR GALLERY- ASBURY PARK, NJ
CARVER HILL GALLERY- CAMDEN, MAINE
JAMES OLIVER GALLERY- PHILADELPHIA, PA
CHORA LEONE GALLERY- SOMERS POINT, NJ
TROXEL ART PROJECTS- MARMORA, NJ
SAATCHIART.COM- ONLINE PLATFORM
1STDIBS.COM- ONLINE PLATFORM
SINGLUART- ONLINE PLATFORM
Scott Troxel Art - Bygone Technology & Nostalgic Design (Q&A by Bethany Fincher, Curator, Saatchi Art)
Scott Troxel draws on the aesthetics of bygone technology and the forward-looking designs of the Atomic Age and mid-century modernism to make dynamic, retrofuturist wooden sculptures that evoke nostalgia for the past as much as they look to the future. Fascinated by the way pieces of technology, culture, and design reveal their age, Scott aims to make works that cannot be pinned to a specific era. Scott has exhibited his work at numerous fairs and exhibitions across the United States, including The Other Art Fair New York, and his works are held in private collections across the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America.
1. Tell us about who you are and what you do. What’s your background?
I am a wall sculptor that works primarily with wood and paint. I do sometimes incorporate metal, reclaimed wood, found objects and man-made materials like PVC and Azek. I attended Temple University and got my degree in film, although I was originally an art major, and I ended up pursuing a career in product development and design and brand management. While I enjoyed bringing over 200 products to retail from raw concepts, I decided to begin working on my art again at age 43. After a few years, I had enough work and momentum to transition to being a full time artist and I haven’t looked back.
2. What does your work aim to say? What are the major themes you pursue in your work?
I am inspired by design and technology throughout the twentieth century, such as mid-century modernism, the Atomic Age, and art deco. In terms of what my work is trying to say, I tend to expand upon Frank Stella’s famous quote “What you see is what you see.” While the viewer tends to bring his or her experiences to my work and “find” something familiar in it, my goal is to create art that features strong composition, balance, color, form and movement. My work relies heavily on these pillars. I then incorporate themes of aging, organic versus man-made, and new versus old in the sense of how we engage with technology, design, and aesthetics across generations. Specifically, I use the example of mid-century modern design. It has the rare ability to be timeless yet dated, modern but retro, organic and grounded but still futurist and otherworldly. I find this concept fascinating, and it is the foundation of what I try to achieve in my work. I want it to feel both modern and bold but perhaps from another era—when it was cutting edge, before time passed it by and changed the definition of “new or modern.”
An example of my work that demonstrates this idea would be “Achtung III.” The piece is bold, graphic and nods to both hard-edge abstraction and post-painterly abstraction. But it’s also modern and slightly distressed and grungy. The color palette was taken from a 50s book cover that has amazing design and color.
3. Can you walk us through your process for creating a work from beginning to end?
My process is significantly calculated and pre-determined. I start with a concept or raw idea—similar to how I would approach a product development project. I spend hours in graphic design software refining the concept and purging bad directions. I do this mostly from a modeling standpoint, as it is difficult to work with the materials I use without a clear direction. Once I have a concept dialed in, I gather my materials and begin constructing the piece in my wood shop. Usually, the piece ends up around 70 to 80 percent true to my mockup. Obviously things change when creating in the studio, but my direction is mostly clear. At this point I bring the piece to my finishing studio to paint and mount the piece. In a nutshell, it goes from a concept on a computer screen to the wood shop to the studio where it is finished.
4. What are you working on next?
I am expanding upon my monochromatic series, which challenges me to focus on composition by using a very limited color palette.
5. Who are your biggest influences and why?
I am heavily influenced by industrial design and movements like Art Deco, Mid Century Modernism and the use of plastics in the 1970s. I am inspired by artists like Frank Stella, Franz Kline, Martin Puryear, Harvey Quaytman, and the tondos of Leon Polk Smith. But I am inspired by all great art, no matter the movement or artist--
I also love the work of Magritte, Picasso and Giorgio de Chirico.
To contact me for custom pieces or to purchase art, please use the contact form in the navigation bar. All art is proudly made in the USA.
