Scott Sutton breaks open an ancient pinecone that has transformed into vivianite, a bright-blue mineral that forms in the presence of iron and decomposing organic matter. Photo by Buck The Cubicle.
SCOTT SUTTON
Scott Sutton has been working with earth pigments for 15 years as an artist and educator to bring an awareness to the potential of locally sourced color to create a sense of place. Scott began paint-making in 1997 at Oregon State University where he learned how to make paints with modern pigments from his painting professor Sandy Brooke. Scott began to collect earth minerals in 2002 when he was living in Taos New Mexico after making a trip to Abiquiu where colorful soils exist in a range of colors. After returning to Oregon in 2003, Scott began working with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Porltand, OR where he worked as an art instructor teaching natural paint making to tribal members to use in their own art. Scott returned to New Mexico in 2009 to study for a Master of Landscape Architecture at University of New Mexico that has enabled him to better understand the landscapes through the use of mapping which now guides him in his adventures for color. In 2012, Scott returned to Portland, OR where he has built an art studio and is developing the Pigment Hunter Artist in Residence program. Over the years, Scott has introduced the art of making paints and pigment hunting to other artists who are interested in using local materials that are collected from the landscape in a sustainable manner to lighten their own footprint on the Earth.
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Scott Sutton holds a stack of red ochre slabs on Oregon’s coast. Photo by Buck the Cubicle.