Out of My Mind – With you in mind: what was I thinking? is an unusual collaboration between the artist and selected individuals. While the ideas for Scott’s tempera grassa paintings are based on his experiences and insights, for this exhibition, Scott turned to friends for their points of view. "The experience of others are uniquely their own and hopefully, I will gain from their experience," explains the affable and thoughtful forty-four year old artist. "This involved communicating with people in the hope of engaging conversation and the desire for a visual pursuit that embodies the unique views of the person and satisfied my artistic pursuit, intellect and sense of humour."

The paintings in this show explore consumerism and the commercialization of culture that Scott sees resulting in the need for convenience, comfort, instant gratification and short-term financial gain. "We view the world through a market driven economy. If it supports a good economy, it’s a good policy," explains Scott who studied at the Ontario College of Art and later trained with Michael John Angel, one of the foremost figurative painters in North America and one of the most inspiring and successful teachers in classical and traditional art today.

"I’m hoping the audience will look beyond the surface of the work and reflect on the ideas that motivated the paintings," acknowledges Scott who is well versed in the historical painting techniques of the great masters and draws upon this knowledge to facilitate his work.

While Scott’s painting technique is suggestive of the great masters, his subject matter is anything but. Mass Appeal, one of the paintings in the show, is a 34" by 96" work that is created from sixteen smaller paintings that, unto themselves, form individual works. The cast of characters represented by the paintings is instantly recognizable.

Forming the core of the painting is Gumby, a dark green clay humanoid figure who was the subject of a series of television shows starting in the mid 1950s. His friends – Pokey, a red clay pony, Prickle, a yellow dinosaur and Gumby’s nemeses, the Blockheads are also depicted.

Like the other paintings, Mass Appeal was the result of collaboration. During a discussion with his wife and fellow artist, Bonnie Bews, about how to convey his theme of the commercialization of culture, it was Bonnie who suggested portraying Gumby. Scott’s daughter, Jodie, and studio apprentice, Anita Stephenson, added their insight by posing the bendable figurines interacting with various aspects of consumerism. "As a subject, Gumby has a lot going for him," remarks Scott about this cultural icon that continues to enjoy market success today in movies, television series, computer games and cartoons. "He is bendable and flexible and to make a living as an artist, one has to be bendable and flexible as well in order to fit into the market place. There is a fine line, however, between creating work that meets my own personal aesthetics and that will hopefully resonate in the marketplace." The quirky artists who has an offbeat sense of humour adds: "I personally love that he is the colour of money."

While the subject for Scott’s show is sober – examining how consumerism affects creativity – his approach to it is lighthearted. "Whenever culture becomes commercialized, there is a decline in creativity. With these paintings, I was just trying to have fun with a serious concept," explains Scott. "If you can use humour, you can see a subject in a different light."