An Inherently Hopeful Gesture

This exhibition of portrait and figurative imagery has significant personal meaning for me. When I was young, I painted figures almost exclusively and, at that time, could not foresee a desire to work from any other subject. Today I am an abstract painter, yet I continue to look at and find inspiration in work by figurative artists. 

The thoughts and emotions that surface when organizing an exhibition like this parallel those I experience when painting, and I can see my selection as somewhat autobiographical. I have included several artists whose work I have looked to my entire professional life. I first saw the paintings by Mitzi Melnicoff in her 1973 memorial exhibition at the University of the Arts. If there is such a thing as an aha moment when one decides to be an artist, that surely was mine. Around that same time, the singer, Joan Baez, gave me one of her figure drawings. It has hung on the wall of my studio for years, its beauty ever prompting me to paint. This exhibition has given me a most welcome opportunity to juxtapose these and several artists my age with some of my younger heroes. Someone once teased me that I am like a sheepdog, except that my flock consists of people and their pictures. I am immensely grateful to the participating artists and hope they enjoy seeing their works together as much as I do.

- Bill Scott     

Joan Baez, Shut Mah Ahzz, Ah See Uh Belt, ink on paper, 11" x 8.5"  SOLD   

Joan Baez, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Hee Hee Hee, ink on paper, 11" x 8.5"  SOLD   

Joan Baez, Well, Heidi Ho!, ink on paper, 11" x 8.5"  SOLD  

Joan Baez, You Ress, Your Gramma Loves You, ink on paper, 11" x 8.5"  SOLD   

Joan Baez, Honey Can you Help Me?, ink on paper 11" x 8.5'  SOLD  

Theophilus Brown, Seated Man with Folded Arms, charcoal on paper, 22" x 14.75" 

Patrick Connors, Seated Male, oil on linen mounted on panel, 11.25" x 6.75"  

Nancy Cooke, The Mirror, mixed media with collage and pastel, 14" x 11"  Available 

Mikel Elam, Suggestion, acrylic and wax, 30" x 24" 


Josias Figueirido, Drawing Between Narratives, drypoint, monotype, screen print, 31" x 22.5" 

Philip Geiger, The Cluttered Table, oil on board, 24" x 29" 

Sidney Goodman, Self-Portrait, watercolor, 14" x 15.5"  Available 

Alex Kanevsky, M. H. oil on board, 12" x 12"    

Michael Kowbuz, Rear Window Reflection, gouache, watercolor, ink on paper, 7.5" x 10.75"  SOLD

Serge Krupnov, Summer Music (Portrait of Bill Scott), oil on wood, 15.5" x 12"  SOLD 

Gilbert Lewis, Portrait, gouache on paper, 28" x 22"  SOLD  

Aaron Lubrick, Playing on the Rocks, oil on panel, 11.5" x 15.5" 


Mitzi Melnicoff, Afternoon, color woodcut on Mulberry paper, 22" x 16.75"

Tonie Roos, Dancing in the Light III, watercolor, 11.75" x 16.5" 

Bruno Schmidt, untitled, acrylic on board, 8" x 8" 

Tiago Schmidt, It's OK, mixed media, 19" x 19" 

Anna Shukeylo, Hudson Heights (Figment 36), acrylic and sand on panel, 8" x 8" 

Anna Shukeylo, Hudson Heights (Figment 37), acrylic on panel 8" x 8" 

Mickayel Thurin, Self-Portrait, mixed media on paper, 18" x 13.5" 

Laura Velez, When the Lights Fall, oil on board, 16" x 20" 

Louise Vinueza, Tea, oil on panel, 11.5" x 11.5"  SOLD  

Tom Walton, Reading Leaves, graphite on paper, 30" x 22"