Scott Sutton
Taos, NM
Copper Verdigris
Copper & Vinegar in Glass Jar
11” x 8” x 8”
2023
$1000
About
Scott Sutton’s art work is deeply influenced by his use of natural materials such as Earth pigments that he collects and processes from the local geological landscape to the dye plants he grows in his garden within the watershed that he calls home. Scott has a unique educational background with a Bachelor of Fine from Oregon State University 1994-1998 and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico 2009-2012. These diverse backgrounds have greatly impacted Scott’s work as an artist who considers himself an ecological and environmental designer working with traditional art materials, modern technologies, and living ecological systems.
Artist Statement
Pigment Hunter’s vision is to create sustainable relationships to the places we live by using local materials such as mineral pigments and plant dyes in developing a sense of place and cultural identity. The project’s goal is to emphasize the historical relationship that traditional cultures have with the places of origin and reconnect modern culture with the environments where they live. The art of pigment hunting is more than just collecting color, it’s about exploring places and taking the time to understand how the formation of the environment in which we exist happened over time. Mineral pigments also exist within materials extracted and process from the Earth such as copper. Recycled materials such as copper pipe can be used to create a renewable source of pigment by soaking it within vinegar to create copper carbonate or verdigris. This is an example of how we can turn waste into a source of pigment for creating art or even seeing the transformative process of the vapors of vinegar creating shades of blue and green crystals on the copper itself.
Art from Scott Sutton in other TAAC exhibitions