L. Scooter Morris
I am a sensory illusionist. I gather the experience of being in the moment and use that information to create an image. It is the sense of light and color filtering through the atmosphere at that moment in time. There is a thread of something real that exists above everything. In trying to reach the truth, you are trying to make it real through something beautiful. That moment of sensory experience exists as glimmer of something bigger than we are.
My goal is to make artwork that is so beautiful it cuts to the heart of what is true, to create art that is of this moment, but exists as something timeless. It resonates with the person viewing the work as real although it is not quite realistic. It has meaning, although that is not specifically stated because of its use of color or symbolism, or imagery.
I was lucky to have grown up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where there were incredible arts programs, including through the Carnegie Museum. I began my arts education through public education and in the museum programs. Later, I attended Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia and Rome, Italy. I left school for a year to move to Los Angeles, California and received my B.F.A. from University of Southern California. Subsequently, I took post graduate courses at UCLA. After, moving to New Mexico, I was greatly influenced by the atmosphere and environment and that influenced me to evolve the style of painting I call, Sculpted Paintings. There is the artist's intention behind the work, there is also the meaning the viewer has upon seeing the work. Combined, the work's meaning is elevated.
Your work straddles the line between the tangible and the illusory, embodying a sensory resonance that is both deeply personal and universally evocative. How do you navigate the tension between the physicality of your materials and the ethereal quality of the illusions they create?
My work “Sculpted Paintings” employs both physical materials and illusionary technique to create an image. I call myself a sensory Illusionist. I gather the experience of being in a moment, at a place, at a time and use that information to create the image. It is the sense of how the light the color filters through the image and the atmosphere you might be surrounded by at that moment in time.
You’ve described your art as capturing a “glimmer of something bigger than we are.” How do you conceptualize this elusive quality during your creative process, and how do you measure the success of a piece in embodying that transcendence?
The creative process is about taking an idea and making it real. The artist is revealing something personal in hopes the viewer will gain an insight into the use of iconic images. It is my hope that use of these iconic images will create a bridge from my vision to a more universal insight.
In choosing iconic images like flags or hearts, you tap into deeply ingrained cultural and emotional symbols. How do you grapple with the weight of collective associations tied to these symbols, while simultaneously recontextualizing them into your unique narrative of sensory experience?
The use of Iconic images allows the viewer a personal connection which Is influenced by their prior life experiences. As an artist my ability to select the image and create its context comes form many years as an artist. The viewer their frame of reference to the iconic image.
The idea that your paintings suggest something that exists within the viewer implies a dynamic interplay between artist, artwork, and audience. How do you see this triangular relationship evolving over time as your work continues to challenge perceptions and expectations?
I am creating a visual conversation between the artwork and a broader audience that exists in a conceptual medium.
Your technique of "Sculpted Paintings" inherently adds a tactile, almost architectural dimension to the visual experience. How do you see this approach redefining traditional notions of realism and abstraction, particularly in the context of contemporary art discourse?
In my distant past, my use of mixed media was considered unusual, but now I think the experimental use of other media is more common place. Two of my recent paintings use the historical documents used in the founding of the United States: The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and The Declaration of Independence are fragmented into pieces and then installed into various places in the sky and into the landscape on the canvas. We are not only invested in these concepts, they are the fabric of who we are as a country.
In your quest to create beauty that reveals truth, what role does imperfection—or the suggestion of it—play in your art? Do you see the imperfections in texture or composition as detracting from or enhancing the truth you aim to uncover?
My vision quest is not something distant and elusive, it is here at my fingertips. I have been working through the medium of "Sculpted Paintings" to flesh out what that vision is and what it could become.
I strive to make it real through the use of materials, including paint and canvas and other mixed media in an attempt to allow the viewer to sense it, to feel it, and to understand it in their own way. Sometimes it’s the imperfections that make the work more interesting. The magic occurs in the moment while the actual work is being done and allowing space for the work to tell a story or have it "come to life”, is about having those moments occur, while it is happening.
You’ve emphasized the importance of light and atmospheric sensation as central to your work. How do you translate the fleeting, subjective nature of these sensory experiences into a form that retains their immediacy while achieving a timeless resonance?
I use color to create a sense of light and atmosphere. To create an illusion of an environment.
The illusion you create in your art suggests the existence of layers of reality beyond the visible. Do you see your work as guiding viewers toward a kind of self-discovery, or do you think of it as a mirror reflecting their inner states?
People will see what they choose to see, what they allow themselves to see, and sometimes what you make visible to be seen. I cannot control what a viewer sees, but I can create a place on canvas that is my vision and share that with the viewer.
Your biography suggests a constant dialogue between environment and creation, with places like New Mexico playing a pivotal role in shaping your style. Do you think of your work as a sensory diary of these spaces, and how does the act of creating art in one place resonate with or contrast against your experiences elsewhere?
I use color to create a sense of light and atmosphere. To create an illusion of an environment. My work is influenced by my frame of reference, my concerns and my history combined with my ability and processing of information to create an assemblage of a 3 dimensional image on a two dimensional plane and that is why I call them Sculpted Paintings.