We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Woodard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Looking back I think the most important factor in my success is that I have faith in my talent.

I remember getting to the place when someone would compliment my work and I inwardly recognized that I was indeed talented. One of the things that got me there was being told by a local museum curator that I needed to learn how to talk about my work, to develop a dialog or a language because people would want to know. I learned how to do that, but also to ask the inquiring person what they saw. That, to me, was very interesting as I don’t have a theory or meaning about what I create. When they shared what they saw I always could relate to their words. At that time the work I was doing was mysterious and surreal and open to interpretation.

Two stylized figures with large hair and hats, surrounded by trees, birds, and deer, in a whimsical scene.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Some days I create because I have a project with a specific deadline. That’s work. Some days it is just for the joy of making something that I truly love to look at. During that process I don’t wonder if anyone will like it, understand it, or want it. The important thing is that I love it when it’s finished. I don’t say that to be flip. I have created off and on for my whole life and I have never, ever had a realization of why I have the talent I have, or the mind I have, why I want to create, or anything else that might lead to an understanding of my work.

I mainly create acrylic paintings on canvas. That also carries over to pencil and/or ink on paper and minimalistic sculpture.

My interior design career stems from years in the picture faming business, custom rug and carpet design and manufacturing, and a lifetime interest in beautiful interiors and objects.

I haven’t been very good at self-promotion but I have become very adept at accepting compliments! I don’t really have any business acumen.

Lessons learned is an ebb and flow type thing for me. They seem to change as time goes by. I would be hard pressed as my work ethic isn’t so much about scheduled creating, but creating work that I truly love.

I have been attracted to surrealism, minimalism, imagery from the Asian subcontinent, spiritualism, light and shadows. I was raised to be silly by two real characters and I think there’s a bit of mirth underneath my work.

Person sitting on a chair with a white grand piano behind them, in a room with lamps and artwork.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is funny to me because after a few years of health issues, the pandemic, aging, the messy state of the world, I have become fairly recluse. I wouldn’t necessarily accompany them but would suggest The Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Contemporary Arts Museum, Allen Park, Herman Park, the Medical Center. We have so many good art galleries and I would insist we visit Reeves Art Gallery together. They have thousands of pieces of art, including mine. We have fantastic food-Indian, Thai, Tex-Mex and just about everything else. I would, however, drive them through downtown, River Oaks, Allen Park, Memorial Park, and whatever else popped up.

Oval framed painting depicts a UFO emitting a beam of light over a landscape with trees and a cloudy sky.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The recovery communities of Alcoholics Anonymous and ACAD (Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families)
My spiritual path
Support of old friendships and new ones

Website: https://www.scottwoodardstudio.com

Instagram: @scottwoodardstudio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.woodard

Other: Local representation: www.https://reevesartgallery.com
European representation: www.https://mcgaleria.com

Small painting of a white egg on a sandy surface with a blue sky background, framed in a decorative wooden frame.

Large portrait of a woman with a serious expression, and a small person walking in the background.

Abstract artwork with geometric shapes and muted colors in an ornate frame.

Blue abstract shape hanging from a string, with a dark shadow below, in a black ornate frame.

Small portrait of a person with a beard and hat, framed in an ornate gold frame, mounted on a black oval background.

Abstract cityscape with buildings, windows, and candles, in muted tones, viewed from below, with a cloudy sky background.

Image Credits
Scott Woodard

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