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Bio - Scott Boilard is a painter of physical entities both familiar and unearthly. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts; Scott has been making art almost his entire life. Starting mostly drawing with graphite and pen and ink, he was inspired by a love of fantasy and science fiction movies, television shows and graphic novels. After high school, Scott’s desire to learn to paint led him to the Art Institute of Boston where he majored in Illustration and minored in Fine Arts with a focus on painting. During his time there, he engrossed himself in the study of art history, the various movements, their regional and cultural origins as well as their historical contexts. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and receiving the Senior Award for his major, Scott sought work as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer but felt a greater need for a more personal form of self-expression. His desire for freedom and control in his work led him to turn his focus away from the commercial and more towards fine art. While still occasionally engaging in commercial work, most of his paintings are inspired by his own visions and interests. His art, as well as his illustration and mural painting, show a love of traditional rendering mixed with the spontaneity of modern composition and color. His surrealist and naturalist pieces are a part of many private collections and continue to gain interest and commissions from new and existing patrons. Over the past 25 years, he has exhibited in many group and solo shows in Massachusetts, New York and Russia. Most recently he was approved for a Mass Cultural Council Grant for Creative Individuals and is currently preparing for various festivals and a solo exhibit in Worcester in 2025.
Artist Statement - I discovered the subjective way we relate to our natural selves and how we interpret what we see beyond the objective. On the surface, the painting depicts naked humans lying together on the floor of a birch forest under a red sky. My intent was to show the serenity that can be shared communally with others against the natural and manufactured adversities of living. I gave the bodies warmth and calmness of repose, with soft form, to contrast the hard, spindly, branches and ominous sky. They are comforted and carefree in their proximities to each other, showing confidence in their community through the lack of a self-conscious modesty towards their bodies. What I found upon exhibiting the piece was semi-surprising and opened my eyes to our nature in interacting and processing concepts subjectively and how much it influences our dialogs with each other. When I first started exhibiting the painting, about half the people that saw it understood what I was trying to relate, but the other half thought it depicted a morbid scene of death. They did not think the subjects were sleeping peacefully, but thought they were dead. I debated changing the title to something less committal or even just leaving it “Untitled” in order to leave the debate open, but decided to keep the title as intended, as I did not want to invalidate my personal subjectivity, but leave that open to outside critique, as well. My work has continued to show me the power of esoteric and symbolic art to bring out the personality and, therefore, the reactions of the viewer and how that makes said art continue to evolve in concept, through our relation to it, after its completion.
“I AM A PAINTER IN A SURREALIST REPRESENTATIONAL VEIN. I WORK IN DIFFERENT SERIES ALTHOUGH MOST OFTEN FIGURATIVE. I EXPERIMENT WITH CONCEPTS THAT BALANCE MY LOVE OF RENDERING EXPRESSIONIST ART. WITHIN REPRESENTATION, I DEAL WITH ABSTRACT CONCEPTS THROUGH FANTASTIC SUBJECT MATTER. MY PAINTINGS ARE FOR PURE EXPRESSION, TO EXPRESS WHAT I CAN’T EXPLAIN WITH WORDS—
— SCOTT BOILARD
