Scott Conary

"Lamb Chop"  oil on panel  8" x 8"

"Bitten Apple"  oil on panel  6" x 5"

"Clouds, Oregon"  oil on canvas  28" x 22"

"Forgotten"  oil on canvas  30" x 30"

"Arrowhead"  oil on panel  8" x 8"

Scott Conary is, as he says of himself, "something of a throwback", a traditionalist if you will, interested in the simple art of applying paint to convey the immediacy of an object with deft and confident brushwork. For some artists, working in this tried and true vein, the subject matter itself is almost entirely incidental. But Mr. Conary finds himself drawn to some very specific images again and again, most notably and recently, meat. It's part of a long tradition, kind of. Rembrandt did a painting of a carcass of beef once which later inspired the artist Chaim Soutine to do a series of ten such paintings while the carcass slowly turned blue and rancid in his studio. Plenty of other artists have depicted food, both meat and vegetables freshly procured from the local market. Mr. Conary worked his way through his own apples, pears,  peppers and more before settling down with chops. There is something undeniably immediate about a cut of meat. There is a distinct visual appeal, especially for a painter, in the glistening surface and the bright red hues. But there's also recognition of the fact that we are ourselves are flesh and bone. One may be tempted to read too much into it. He's also painted numerous small works depicting tools; hammers, pliers scissors, etc.,. There's landscapes, and even a few figurative works. The real focus of his work, it seems to me, is the varied and ubiquitous ingredients of every day life.

There's plenty of work to look through on his website: www.conary.org

And thanks to Sean Thomas, the subject of my previous post for bringing Mr. Conary's work to my attention.