Biography of Louise SCOTT

Louise Scott, self-portrait

BIOGRAPHY

Born  in New York of Canadian parents, Louise Scott has been painting since she was 15 years old. She started painting full time after the death of her father, living on a small legacy he left her. She studied art at the Montreal Museum School of Fine Arts. In 1958 she studied with Oskar Kokoschka in Austria at the Salzburg School of Art.

She herself taught for several years at Concordia University (at the time, Sir George William’s University). She is the mother of three children and divides her time between Montreal and Nova Scotia.
She has exhibited in various international exhibitions, including: the Washington International Art Fair, the New York International Art Fair and the Toronto International Art Fair.

SUBJECT-MATTER

Scott depicts individuals with a distinctive round face, a round nose, a small mouth and large somewhat globule eyes which fix the viewer with a compelling gaze.
These figures are often dressed in richly colored outfits and placed in settings, which are sumptuous and highly decorative. She rarely gives titles to her works.

1974: Nudes painted in oils

1976: Paintings, watercolors, drawings and silk screens

1977: Oils and pastels

1979 - 83: Drawings in dry pastel with backgrounds influenced by mediaeval tapestries and costumes. Influenced as well by oriental culture. Some paintings

1984 - 86: Graphite drawings. Works on paper

1987 - 93: Primarily oils on canvas. Dry pastels

1995 - 2007 : Portraits. Oils on canvas. Small format

TECHNIQUE/MEDIUM

Louise works primarily in dry pastel and oil. She occasionally uses watercolor and graphite. She has also produced some silk screens and etchings.
The pastels are usually vertical (1988) with flattened-out forms on different planes. The figures detach themselves from the background seemingly to be projected literally into the foreground. Scott’s work is very colorful and decorative. She explains: “I love color and light and I try to produce images that are pleasing. There is no significance more profound than that”. (1977)
The backgrounds of the works in oil are not necessarily painted on the vertical. The tone and color schemes in her oil paintings are even more vivid than in the pastels.

EXHIBITIONS

2006-05-04-03-02-01-00: “Le choix des artistes”. Group exhibition, Galerie Valentin, Montreal

2006-05-04-03-02-01-00-99-98-97-96-95-94: Small Size Works, Group exhibition, Galerie Valentin, Montreal

1999: “Self-portrait”. Group exhibition, Galerie Valentin, Montreal

1995: Solo Exhibition. Portraits. Oils et pastels. Galerie Valentin, Montreal         .

1993:Solo Exhibition. Mostly oils, only two pastels. Galerie Valentin, Montreal

1991: "Une ville, un Musée, une Collection". Group Exhibition, Oeuvres du Musée de la ville de Lachine, présentées à la ville de Kirkland dans le cadre du      programme "Exposer dans l' Ile" du Conseil des Arts de la C.U.M

1990: "Stories for Crystal". Solo Exhibition, Galerie Valentin, Montreal.

1987: Recent works. Oils and pastels. Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1984: Recent graphite works, Galerie de l’Art Français, Montreal

1986 : Galerie d’Art Feuille d’Érable, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, with the collaboration of la Galerie de l’Art Français

1983: Variation autour d'un personnage. Recent works on pastel. Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1981: Pastels and oils. Keenlyside Gallery, Vancouver

1981: Recent works on pastel, inspired by the mediaeval "Le roman de la rose". Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1980: Pastels (clowns, geisha). Masters Gallery, Calgary

1980: Pastels (japanese influence) Galerie West End, Westmount

1979: Pastels (japanese influence). Backgrounds influenced by the tapestries of XV, XVI and XVIIth centuries. Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1978: Lithographs, serigraphies and works on paper. Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1977: Oils and pastels. Galerie l'Art Français, Montreal

1977: Oils and pastels. Galerie West End, Westmount

1976: Solo Exhibition. Paintings, watercolors, drawings and serigraphies. Galerie Dresnere, Toronto

1975: "Québec fête". Group Exhibition organized with the collaboration of the MMFA, city of Montreal and the National Celebration Committee. Mont-Royal Art Centre

1974: Mainly nudes painted in oils. Galerie West End, Westmount

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Bélanger-Martin, « Louise Scott, Anonymat, Vie d’artistes d’ici d’ailleurs ou d’autre part », Magazin’Art, no. 2, Winter 1993/1994

R. Bernatchez, « Louise Scott: un art qui trouble et dérange » in La Presse, October 9, 1993

Monique Proulx, « L’Enfance de l’art, » Maximum, April 1986

N. Gauthier, « La scène artistique en marge des grands circuits, » Art et Investissement, Finance, Mars 24,1986

N. Le Gris, « Louise Scott, Variation sur un personnage », Le courrier médical, July 1983

L. Sabbath, « Louise Scott », The Gazette, April 23, 1983

Art et Investissement, Finance, April 1983

N. Gauthier, « Un souffle de renouveau sur le marché de l’art montréalais »

« MenaceinWonderland », Montreal Calendar Magazine, April 1981

« Variations autour d’une tapisserie », Les Publications de la galerie L’Art Français, 1979

J. de Roussan, « Les visages solitaires de Louise Scott », Perspectives, December 1977

« Louise Scott paints in the warts and all », The Gazette, August 16, 1977

« Québec fête mal son art », La Presse, June 28, 1975

COLLECTIONS

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec

Contemporary Art Museum, Montreal, Montreal

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal

Joliette Museum, Joliette

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Canadian Consulate, Ottawa

Musée Athénée, Geneva

Concordia University, Montreal

Shell Collection, Calgary

CIL

Montreal Trust, Montreal

La Laurentienne, Montreal

Kitchener / Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario

Galerie Robert McLaughlin, Oshawa, Ontario

Galerie de la Nouvelle - Écosse, Halifax, N.E

Galerie Lord Beaverbrook, Frédéricton, N.B

Collection du Reader’s Digest

Canadian Industries Ltd. Collection

Many private collections in Canada, USA and elsewhere around the world