Alex Scott Artist Portrait

About the Artist

Alexander Scott was born on the Ides of March 1981 at home up Beachwood Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, just a stone’s throw from the famed sign.

His artistic talent was initially noticed when he won first place in a drawing competition sponsored by Santa Clarita Valley’s newspaper, The Signal. The competition was for children twelve and under. Alex was only four. Over the next dozen years, he participated in and frequently dropped out of assorted art classes.

At sixteen, he put down pencils and brushes and went to work in motorcycle racing, leaving school behind forever. Over the next two years, he set foot in every U.S. state but Alaska.

In 1999, he returned to home and art with Erika, a pencil portrait of his actress friend. He painted his first oil the following year. For the next five years, between routine jobs, he studied various techniques and impressionist painters. As he studied on his own, he also learned craft from other successful painters, including renowned artist Bryten Goss who taught him to stretch canvas. Among the exercises and sketches Alex produced during this time were several notable works, including Boys on a Beach and Girl in Shower, showing the beginnings of his own unique style. Despite the attention of influential artists such as Goss and the encouragement of collectors (he often refused to sell what few paintings he made), he wouldn’t fully commit to his art.

Then, in late 2005, Alex entered an extensive conversation with screenwriter friend William Widmaier about the power and artistry of lighting in Film Noir. Their discussions regarding the art of capturing the power and loneliness of the dead of night led to his study of early French Film Noir, which led to inspiration, which led to passion.

Alex quit work, invested all of his savings into paint, brushes, and canvas, and disappeared into the night for almost two years. Scott lives a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle, and has whenever possible since birth. All the paintings in his Noir series were executed at night. His work reflects the artistry of the era, in part because he has lived the power and loneliness of the dead of night, and the passion that can spring from those quiet hours.