Scott Prior is a master at painting the familiar in a way we have never seen before.  Whether painting the figure, a landscape or a still life, it is the quality of light that makes his work distinct.  Light itself is his main subject matter.  He uses objects and settings that are instantly familiar while avoiding the exotic or foreign.  Consequently, his paintings have a strong relationship to our everyday life.

Scott Prior’s paintings can function on many levels.  The first and most obvious is their lush beauty.  One is compelled to rest in such lushness, but sometimes beauty alone cannot satisfy.  Dig deeper to find true substance, for many meanings can exist within the same painting; a bucolic sunset becomes an omen... empty chairs become surrogates for the people who just moments ago sat in them.  Ordinary moments are extended in his paintings; time is frozen so that the mystery can be discovered within the mundane.

Scott Prior is one of the founding members of a group of painters referred to as the Valley Realists.  He is a graduate from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a major in printmaking.  He was a resident of the MacDowell Colony from 1974-76 and again from 1979-80.  He has had numerous solo and group exhibits nationwide.  Prior’s artwork is in many important public and private collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts and the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut.

Scott Prior: A Monograph
$55 unsigned / $75 signed

Scott Prior: Selected Paintings
Signed Exhibition Catalog $10

Light on the Familiar: The Paintings of Scott Prior
Exhibition Catalog $20

Scott Prior
House in Winter
Oil on panel, 2012
24 x 16"

 

Scott Prior
Humpty
Oil on panel, 2012
6 x 5 1/4"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Cups in Autumn
Oil on panel, 2003
19 x 18"

Scott Prior
Sunflowers at Sunrise
Oil on panel 2012
15 1/2 x 12"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Footbridge in Backyard
Oil on panel, 2007
15 x 13"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Beach at Night
Oil on panel, 2012
7 x 6"

Scott Prior
Diner at Sunrise
Oil on panel, 2012
16 x 24"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Backyard in Spring
Oil on panel, 2012
8 1/2 x 8"

Scott Prior
Barbecue and Ball
Oil on panel, 2008
18 x 15"

Scott Prior
Nanny in the Garden
Oil on panel, 2009-11
54 x 38"

 

Scott Prior
Beach House at Sunrise
Oil on panel, 2011
20 x 18"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Tents
Oil on panel, 2012
9 x 8 1/2"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Balloons
Oil on panel, 2010
8 1/2 x 8"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Nanny in the Pool
Oil on canvas, 2012
24 x 24"

Scott Prior
Community Garden
Oil on panel, 2007-09
30 x 34"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Fairgrounds at Sunrise
Oil on panel, 1983
14 x 13"
• Sold

 

Scott Prior
Fairgrounds at Twilight
Oil on panel, 2011
12 x 20"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Bonfire on the Beach
Oil on panel, 2009
15 x 21"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Red Ball at Sunset
Oil on linen, 1994
13 x 13"

Scott Prior
Bonfire on the River
Gouache on paper, 2009
12 x 12"

Scott Prior
Laundry in Autumn
Gouache on paper, 2010
12 x 11"
• Sold

Scott Prior
Backyard with Teepee
Watercolor on paper
14 x 12"

Scott Prior
Nanny and Ezra in the Kitchen
Graphite on paper, 1988
7 1/2 x 6"

Scott Prior
Nanny in Shower
Graphite on paper, 1994
7 1/2 x 6"

Scott Prior
Morning Bedroom
Graphite on paper, 1988
6 1/2 x 9 1/2"

Scott Prior
House on Highway
Graphite on paper, 1976
11 1/2 x 14"

 

Scott Prior
Motel Room
Graphite on paper, 1986
4 1/2 x 5 1/2"

Scott Prior
Early Morning Bedroom
Graphite on paper, 1993
6 x 9"

Scott Prior
Self Portrait
Graphite on paper
16 1/2 x 13 1/2"

Scott Prior
Max Sleeping
Aquatint, graphite wash
19 x 17 1/2"

Scott Prior
Peppers in Sunlight
Ink on paper
10 1/4 x 9 1/4"