GRAY SCOTT STUDIO

A MISSION LOST....

2010-12-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

† A MISSON LOST †

The extraordinary perfection of the universe is realized

when all the most brutal, hateful, vicious of hearts are forced to burn with love.

And when all the most benevolent, tender, loving of hearts

are forced to feel the cold of darkness, so they may know each other

and look back together with remorse and joy.

A delicate, bitter and sweet taste of a mission lost.

They will become one another at the mouth of the universe......

and finally understand the truth. - Gray Scott

∆∆∆

New Books! Love!

2010-12-02T15:31:00.001-08:00

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

New

2010-12-01T15:01:00.001-08:00

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

New...

2010-12-01T14:28:00.001-08:00

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

New....

2010-12-01T13:56:00.001-08:00

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

Most realistic use of computer graphics ever

2010-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Artwork....

2010-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

"49 Days"
8.5''x12'' GRAPHITE ON PAPER

This series will not let me go...I keep returning to it.... I can stop looking at this one......

Proteus 2004

2010-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

New...

2010-11-24T08:27:00.001-08:00

"MANTIS"
7''x7''

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

New....

2010-11-24T08:08:00.001-08:00

"DMT "
7''x7''

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

New art

2010-11-23T18:49:00.001-08:00

"ETERNAL RECURRENCE"
7''x7''

This is the first from my new series of mixed media artwork....

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

A talented child with a malnourished sensation of love is a dangerous combination. World beware....

2010-11-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

  I knew from the first time I saw Madonna that she was acquainted with the mystic and the occult. She said once in an interview that "fame and the pursuit of fame is a distraction from the truth"....I should have listened. I am so thankful for every obstacle that was gently placed in my path over the last 10 years. At times I thought to myself "why is this so hard, and by the way, why am I even doing this?" Could the answer be so trivial as "because I can?" "To show the world that I will not take no for an answer?" "To prove this person wrong or to get back at that person?" .... unfortunately in a strange fragmented way... YES.
   I picked up a camera so that I could communicate my ideas my feelings into an art form. It gave me a focus for my energy but it also forced me into a box. I had become ....the photographer. And after a few years (and a few agents later) in the NY commercial photography world I was no longer the artist.
  As a child I was a painter, an observer, artist. I was tuned into the mystical and the universe. But I was surrounded by dark energy, negative caretakers that just could not love me. They could not love themselves. A talented child with a malnourished sensation of love is a dangerous combination. World beware. Books and books have been written about this. Empires have been won and lost to these sages. Some get caught in the fever of the world and they burn up way before they even realize what went wrong. But some have the extra insight, guides, vision, intuition, to be self aware when things do not feel genuine, these are the truly formidable.
   I have been given the rare opportunity to correct my coarse. And people who tell you be careful what you wish for, they are on to something. I now have the chance to create and speak from a comparative place. This has been one of the many insights the universe has given me throughout my life. I have lived in poverty, and wealth, at times I have been an emotional prisoner and at other times I have been inextinguishable.
I know the darkest depths of my barbarity and the elevation of my altruism. I have suffered or been gifted with the ultimate polarity. I am truly earning the name Gray.
  I intend to use this insight to empower, to create, and to seek out this polarity, this truth and take it in, just as it exists. Bind it to my comparisons and paint, write, and speak from that perspective.
I am releasing my distractions, moving toward truth.

Sketch

2010-11-12T11:30:00.001-08:00

I thought I would try photorealistic today... Used a photo from my website.... 5"x5" charcoal on paper.

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTTSTUDIO .COM

Cymatics - Bringing Matter To Life With Sound (Part 1 of 3)

2010-11-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

On my reading list.....

2010-09-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Zeitgeist Addendum

2010-09-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Incarnation by Mark Ryden

2010-09-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Alyssa Monks Paintings....

2010-09-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

"TRUST" 2010 32x48 oil on linen

Keep it simple and do it well. Thats what everyone says, and Alyssa Monks does just that. Photorealistic painting at its best.

GRAY SCOTT PAINTING 001!

2010-09-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

"SEND FOR HELP"
6'' x6 '' OIL ON PANEL

I have been so frightened to start a painting not knowing the end result first. ( CONTROL FREEK ) As a photographer I plan every detail in advance. So I was really having a hard time trusting myself to just jump into a painting without knowing the outcome. But after reading a few interviews with other painters that I love, I decided to follow the advise that some gave. JUST PAINT and see what happens, let go and let the process take over. So I did and this is what happened! Im shocked, I had no plan, the only thing I knew is that I wanted water to be a part of it. At first I drew two things, hated both, then turned the painting upside down and started with a circle and then a fold, then all of a sudden I saw it, this little thing, this creature, so helpless about to go under. At first still thinking as a photographer I thought "what is it?" A fish? A dog? Alien? Im not sure and I like that its vague. Now I can look at it as an emotion. A feeling.

Michael Brown paints a spotlight...

2010-09-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

"The Titanic"

Michael Brown has a new series of paintings at Sarah Bain Gallery and they are magnificent. I love the lighting and texture of the creatures. Take a look at his other paintings, let me know what you think about the tree trunks. Its interesting.

The more I add to this blog, the more I realize what direction to go with my paintings. I can see now that I adore the dark. And a bit of color is fine but it must be desaturated. Just like my photographs. But as far as subject, I'm still in the discovery/ research mode. At the same time Im also painting a portrait and doing small test paintings for lighting and texture. Relearning patience, and enjoying tranquility.

The Amalgamation of Chris Berens...

2010-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

I love Chris Berens paintings. Im sure with all the worlds floating out in the universe, at least one of them must look just like his paintings. His work reminds me of an amalgamation of Mark Ryden, Hieronymus Bosch and a dash of Dali. Take a look at his website.

http://www.chrisberens.com/

Think Jane Wyman sans-sequin dress....

2010-08-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Atsushi Suwa's paintings give me a delicious glimpse into the darker side of beauty and death. You may not love it, but I think its remarkable. First the subject and then the skill it takes to paint this. Besides, we need to see death and old age unfiltered. That is in fact precisely where we are all end up. That is until we find a "cure" for aging. With all our "cures" we also loose our ability to feel compassion, and to tolerate the imperfect. The "fear of the flawed" is what advertising wants you to buy. But at what cost?
When I was very young, I watched my grandmother die in a hospital of "CT contrast pharmaceutical agents" given to her by a nurse while undergoing a simple CT Scan. This had a deep impact on me and my current creative process as an artist. She introduced me to death. It was an elusive force to me until that moment. Her death helped me to see the truth. We age. We become defective. We die.
The real truth, the complete truth, came a week or so later when I really understood how our culture feels about death and beauty. It was at the " viewing of the body" if you can imagine!
I walked toward the casket only to peer in and see a stranger. Who was this lovely woman? I remember actually thinking, "who is THAT?" Everything was too quiet, too pink, too mint green. Then as I studied her face, hair and hands, I began to realize this was my grandmother, only... reworked. Polished, pulled and sewn shut. Someone had applied a glamour to her that I can only describe as something out of an episode of Falcon Crest. Think Jane Wyman sans-sequin dress in North Carolina. No, really.
The makeup, lovely pale shades of ivory and that dress! Shoulder pads! The fake lashes! The nails! I was all at once repulsed like seeing a huge hairy spider, but also very curious and forevermore addicted to whatever this process was. But as much as I was curious to the HOW I also had a desire to know WHY. Why would you send her off into the unknown looking like someone else? She was not "that" woman. She had a hard life, she drank too much alcohol . She looked her age if not a few years more and she was not always so kind. Was this for our benefit? For the family? If so I would have taken it much further. I mean if we are going to tell visual lies about her lets really get into it. Show some cleavage at least.
This was my first lesson in "false advertising". It would not be my last. This gave me insight that I could never replace and as horrific as it was, I now own something greater than the ability to detect a false ideal of perfection. It gave me a desire to look for the why behind the how.
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/atsushisuwa/

performance O de Sagazan 08

2010-07-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

A MONSTER OF CHANGE....
Oliver de Sagazan is one of my new favorite artists. If you read his reactions from viewers on youtube you begin to realize that people are really upset and frightened by things they don't understand. This translates into why people can not tolerate being quiet and most people will not take time to sit with the feelings to see what comes up after viewing his work.
Boring... people who say "oh its so scary". Yes, I was frightened as well in a few parts of this video but as I watched I caught myself feeling sorry for this creature who is so unhappy with himself. He constantly reacts as soon as he creates his eyes. I guess everyone, even monsters hate to really look at themselves. It was also eerie to see how quickly he changed into this creature, this is how quickly we can be changed into something we do not recognize. With each mutation I wanted to see how he escaped. I do feel like he is a modern dancer as well as a painter. I get the sense that his background research was based on the Japanese Butoh dancers, my favorite of all the modern dance, or non-dance. This gives me new ideas for texture as well as ideas for body shapes.

Getting started........

2010-07-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

Working on a concept for my first real paintings!
Something creepy and beautiful. Something to keep you up at night. Something too beautiful for words. Hummmmmm.

-GRAY SCOTT
WWW.GRAYSCOTT.COM

Fly Editorial - Lucifer's Milkmaid directed by Gray Scott

2007-10-04T08:50:00.001-07:00

WORLD ON FIRE

2007-10-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

NEW "WORLD ON FIRE" PRINTS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON WWW.GRAYSCOTT.COM

Soma Fall Fashion Issue

2007-09-18T11:15:00.002-07:00

SOMA MAGAZINE

'World On Fire' Fine Art Exhibition

2007-08-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

“World on Fire” by acclaimed fashion photographer Gray Scott explores polarity at the Pinnacle Gallery. The exhibition is a SCAD Style event

5/4/2007

Gray examines opposing forces

By Ally Hughes

Gray Scott has photographed celebrities and models, shot the most chic couture, and seen his work grace magazine covers. Through June 8, the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Pinnacle Gallery, 320 E. Liberty St., displays his first fine art series, “World on Fire.”

The SCAD Style photography exhibition consists of seven digitally manipulated, floating prints.

In his exhibition, Scott has digitally manipulated details to accentuate, punctuate, mask and shroud his subjects. For the focus of the work, he poses a male and a female figure in a rich, bunker-like environment.

“Fire and energy, destruction and rebirth. We find ourselves in a very important and critical time in the history of man,” said Scott in his artist statement.

He seeks answers to critical questions concerning the pugnacious coexistence between humans and nature, humans and technology, and people and people.

“How can we live in harmony with technology and nature? How can each individual cope with the inner voice of self-destruction and self-hate and at the same time practice forgiveness and love?” Scott questioned.

The answer he reaches is evident in the imagery, where clearly there is a commingling of forces at work, at war and in balance.

Mostly, the images are impressive to view; the clean presentation, the depth of the tones and gripping textures make for an almost mythological atmosphere.

“The truth is that we have the power to burn ourselves or heal ourselves. Fire and power have been man’s triumph and downfall over and over,” concluded Scott.

This body of work seems to be only a sidestep from his high-end and haute-couture photography, in which the models often resemble plastic manifestations of female figures.

The figures feature an unnatural contortion along with a vacuous mannequin-like surrealism in his body of work at large. With the signature mark-making of an artist, Scott does not abandon the style for which he has received so much acclaim in the photographs on display in “World on Fire.”

Scott is best known for his surrealist concepts, lighting and cinematic eye for design. Having photographed the likes of Chloe Sevigny, Zooey Deschanel, Diane Kruger, Rachel Roy, Oscar de la Renta, Karinna Gore Schiff, Padma Lashkmi and many others, he is continually sought after for a broad range of projects.

Scott has shot covers and editorials for many leading magazines, including Vogue Japan, Surface, Soma, And Men, Noise, Avenue and Fly Magazine, as well as advertising campaigns, fine art and short films. He recently won the Graphics 2007 photographic award.

LIGHTSOURCE PODCAST WITH GRAY SCOTT

2007-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

Studiolighting.net does interview with Gray Scott for LightSource Photography Podcast E036. In this new addition of LightSource podcast, Bill Crawford and Ed Hidden talk with fashion photographer Gray Scott.
To hear this podcast and interview with Gray Scott, go to: LightSource Podcast

GenArt Interview with Gray Scott

2007-01-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 27, 2006
See the interview on the GENART site: GENART

Shades of Gray

A Rising Photographer Delves Deeper
It's only been two years since New York-based Gray Scott started his career as a fashion and fine art photographer, but he's already built a formidable portfolio for himself, including covers for Surface, City, SOMA and FQ magazines. As a former makeup artist with no formal training in either field, he has interesting insight into what it takes to break into such a creative -- and competitive -- industry.

Why did you decide to leave makeup and to start doing photography?

I wanted to make a transition either to painting or photography. Photography seemed like the easiest choice, since I was already in the business.

With such a meteoric rise in the industry, do you feel you still have something to prove?

I felt that way in the beginning. I think more of what I'm doing now is showing that I can shoot and don't have to have something in someone's face every month. I felt like I had to be published every month or else my career would be over. Because I was just shooting so much just to stay out there, I ended up doing things that were to the right or to the left of who I was as an artist.

When you do a fashion shoot, how much are you worried about presenting the clothes?

I don't care how crisp the image is or how perfectly lit it is or how the model looks -- if the mood is not there, if it's not engaging, it doesn't matter how perfect it looks. That's why the best campaigns are set in scenarios. They have a storyline underneath them, which gives them a subtext.

You object to people labeling your work as "mannequinesque." Why?

I'm learning that the world of perception is so varied. Each person that looks at an image is going to draw different conclusions that mirror their own issues. In today's society, there's a pressure to be rich, famous, and cool, and that you have to be emotionally void to be so. When people throw around the word "mannequin," I feel it's such a simplistic approach to what I'm doing.

You shoot men on occasion. Is there a difference when shooting guys?

Completely. I'm trying to figure out how to fit the men in my work and how men in society fit into this world. As a photographer, I'm trying to figure out who the modern guy is and how he fits into today's world of fashion, and what his role is. For me, I like putting men in sort of vulnerable sort of precious, awkward, sensitive places. It's jarring to see a butch man in a sensitive moment.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before you started in the business?

Hire a good therapist! It's an emotional rollercoaster. Just like all creative fields, you can't base your emotional state on how people react to your work, which can change day to day. It's dangerous. - Interview by Brian Moylan

AND MEN Magazine OUT NOW!

2006-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

NOISE COVER ON NEWSTANDS NOW!

2006-12-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

CK OUT THE NEW "DARK STAR" EDITORIAL IN THE NEW NOISE MAGAZINE ISSUE #19

IRINA PHOTOGRAPHED BY GRAY SCOTT FOR FQ MAGAZINE COVER

2006-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

SEE FT VIDIO ABOUT IRINA AT: http://www.fashiontelevision.com/videos/default.aspx

PICTURE MAGAZINE - INTERVIEW WITH GRAY SCOTT

2006-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Interview by Sujene Kong. Sujene is a freelance writer and fashion designer in New York City. sujene@gmail.com
GRAY SCOTT'S CANVAS
From a blank canvas to a brilliant masterpiece, this rising photographer transforms images to works of art with one press of a button.

Gray Scott, whom many of you have probably heard of by now, is certainly making a name for himself. After only being in the industry for a little over a year, Gray has already shot a major beauty campaign; fashion covers, editorials, as well as produced his own short films. Praised for his keen eye and attention to detail, it is no wonder why this makeup artist turned photographer is such a success.

THE FORMATIVE YEARS

Q: WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN ART?
A: My mother had me in private art classes since I was probably 10 or 11, painting. That's really where this all began - painting. From the beginning I think I knew I wanted to be an artist is some aspect.

Q: HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY?
A: Throughout my career as a makeup artist, because I was such a visual person and because I was so structured as a storyteller in my painting, there were lots of times when photographers throughout the year would say to me "wow, you should be a photographer," "wow, you should be an art director." I think that planted the seed that it was possible for me to sort of make that leap because I had the eye. It was in my background to be a photographer or a painter.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
A: How this really started was I had a friend who was a model, and I was on a shoot with her. I had purchased some photo equipment, and I said to her, "Listen, I think I'm wanting to be a photographer." I created a beautiful series of four pictures that had narrative to it and had a story behind it. And from that moment on it has been out of control. I showed her agency the pictures, and they sent me seven girls. Of those seven, one of those girls got me a job for a major beauty campaign.
I was getting jobs with eight pictures in my book, and every picture was so strong that people realized I could shoot. After that first initial test about a year and two months ago, I barely had time to breathe. I think I realized too that I'm not as new as I thought I was.

Q: WHAT WAS IT LIKE STARTING OUT?
A: I was very nervous about being technically capable. It is a very technical business, but you can't get wrapped up into that because that will rob you of your creative essence and your images will look flat and stale.

Q: WHAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES YOU HAD MADE AS A BEGINNER?
A: Hiring the wrong people to be on your shoots is the worst mistake you could make, because the energy that they bring can ruin your entire shoot.

Q: WHAT DO YOU DO TO PREVENT THAT?
A: I rarely will book someone without meeting them first. Because I have to know that they're going to support this project whatever it may be.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHERS?
A: My only advice, because I'm still learning as well, is don't listen to every technical person that comes along on your path, because it's not about technique, and that will develop, but that takes awhile to develop. It really is about how your audience is going to view your pictures, and you have to be able to access your personal emotions to get that.

Q: WHAT DO YOU SHOOT WITH?
A: I go between the Hasselblad H1 and I have a Canon Mark II. So I go between those two-16 megapixels. It took me a couple of months to really operate the camera to all its degrees.

Q: HAS DIGITAL CHANGED YOUR PROCESS?
A: I never shot film, and I don't shoot film. I'm a supporter of digital. There is nothing you cannot do with digital. Commercially, it's everywhere. I learned from the ground up everything about digital- how to process. And because I do my own retouching, I know from the moment I sit down on that set, I know how this is going to look because I have a sense of what my parameters are and what I can and can't do with digital. It gives you more of a creative freedom. It's instant gratification.

Q: DID YOU HAVE ANY CHALLENGES WITH THE CONCEPT OF DIGITAL IN THE BEGINNING?
A: It brings it back to being a painter for me. For those photographers who do their own retouching, it is like being a painter. You shoot the image, and then you bring it home and you paint. When I first started shooting digital, I heard a lot of people say it's great for commercial. It's great for well lit bright pictures, but you can't do dark editorials. Well, I think I've proven that to be wrong.

Q: WHO HAVE YOU SHOT THAT YOU ADMIRE?
A: I recently shot Chloe Sevigny. I have such a respect for her as an artist, and that was very important to me, and that was what made it such a joy for me. When she got on set, she said to me, "I want you to direct me." And it was such a pleasure and such an honor for her to say that to me because it meant that she trusted me to take her through the shoot.

Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
A: What I really like is getting this group of people together: from the models, the hair and the makeup, and the styling, getting those people together and giving them an idea and letting them create, and then being a part of directing their creation.

Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
A: The part that I like the least is some of the interference I get through the industry. Whether that be having to explain things to a stylist, or a hair and makeup artist. I think the industry is starting to trust me, and I don't like having to win over this trust.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER?
A: It's obvious Steven Meisel is a genius, but I really adore the narratives he puts together. He is able to have subtext in his pictures. My all time favorite photographer is Gregory Crewdson. He's just genius.

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR ARTISTIC INFLUENCES?
A: Psychology is my number one influence. You can see that in my work. Also, music is a huge influence. If I get an assignment, and I know what the basic principles are for the assignment, I will go and sit down and listen to my favorite music. Also, life experiences. And finally, painters. I'm a huge fan of Mark Ryden. I try not to get too close to any one of [these four influences]; I sort of let them influence my feelings.

Q: WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
A: I finished an editorial that I'm very excited about. Sort of a follow through to the "Flowers." The theme is a lot more sexual, a lot darker and a lot more subversive. Also, in the next couple of months, i'm about to do another short film for FLY Magazine.