Gregory Scott has always blurred the lines between painting and photography, incorporating paintings he made of himself, or his body, back into his photographs. The resulting images were both humorous and odd, challenging the viewer’s perception of photographic truth. Then, at the age of 49, Scott decided to go to graduate school to strengthen his knowledge of art history and study video editing. In 2008, upon graduation, Gregory Scott stunned the art world with his mixed-media video works that combined installation, photography, performance, video and painting. As more and more artists blur the lines between media, Scott has taken the idea to a whole new level, presenting video-based wall pieces that are humorous and poignant, contemplative yet accessible.

Gregory Scott builds sets in his studio that serve as his subject. In these sets, he records himself performing a variety of scenarios that are then edited into 6-10 minute videos. The sets are then photographed, and the resulting wall piece is a mounted photograph with a cut out for a monitor on which a video plays, and a painted element appears on the photographic surface. In each video, he shows how he constructed the set that he photographed, breaking down the barrier between maker and viewer. All of the hardware is attached to the inside of the frame, making his works self-contained.

Continuing to use himself as the model, Scott creates narrative pieces that reference specific artists (Mark Rothko, James Turrell, Cy Twombly, Frank Stella) that have had an impact on his life. Using illusion and surprise, he challenges the definitions placed on photography, painting and video, expanding its discourse and creating a dialogue with the viewer. This dialogue can be seen in Warholian, which shows a photograph of a framed “painting” hanging in a gallery. The painting quickly reveals itself to be a video, showing the artist making his own Warhols, including a silkscreened Marilyn who gets up and walks out of the frame, and a Campbell’s soup can that tips over, pouring out blue paint. In his newest piece, Half Dome, Scott built a model of Yosemite in his studio, referencing Ansel Adams and the beautiful landscape he made famous. In Don’t Fade Away, he disappears into walls and staircases, referencing the work of Liu Bolin. Gregory Scott is a gifted painter, photographer, narrator and video editor, who creates clever narratives that challenge the viewers’ perception of art and the many ways it can be presented.

Gregory Scott was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1957 and received his Bachelor degree from the Institute of Design at IIT in Chicago in 1979 and his Master of Fine Art from Indiana University in 2008. He lives in Cleveland, OH.