Artist Statement
Scott Olmstead
My creative process unfolds through spontaneity and intuition. Each painting begins without a predetermined plan, allowing color, shape, and movement to guide the composition. Through the interplay of geometric forms and organic gestures, the work explores balance, tension, and harmony within abstraction. Fields of color emerge as emotional landscapes, reflecting both structure and freedom.
Being disabled and forced to use my right hand gives my work an extra layer of new experimentation—layered, blended, and redefined until the surface reveals its own rhythm. The result is a visual dialogue between control and chance, where each piece becomes a record of discovery and expression.
I apply my hard edge tape with both hands. The magic happens because my right arm doesn’t extend outward very much, and I am not able to lift it above my waist. This creates interesting organic geometric shapes that come together with freestyle painting for the final effect.
My creations may emerge from a blend of anxiety, depression, disability, and love. The narrative they convey is open to interpretation by the viewer.
Scott Olmstead
ARTIST PROFILE
An Abstract Geometric Visual Journey
Scott's disability is a significant influence on his artwork and has shaped his distinctive visual style, ranging from abstract acrylic painting to digital art and macro photography. With over 40 years of experience in creating art, Scott earned his BFA with Honors from Parsons School of Design in NYC.
During the 90s, Scott participated in various group exhibitions in NYC before taking a hiatus from digital art and photography to manage his Large Format Printing business in Buffalo, N.Y. Inspired by Mark Rothko's color field paintings and captivated by shapes, he uses complimentary colors and analogous hues to create his unique abstract geometric paintings. Scott is also related to the late Frederick Law Olmsted.
Following a car accident in 2017 that left his dominant hand and right side disabled from a TBI, Scott transitioned to painting solely with his left hand. Despite spasticity in his right hand, he uses it to sign his artwork and employs a hard edge line technique with tape.
Rekindling his passion for painting shortly before the pandemic, Scott began experimenting with his left hand for drawing and painting, a process accelerated by the events of 2020, aiding him in managing stress and isolation. Scott now uses a foot brace for right side drop foot but continues to engage in painting, drawing, website design, and teaching art classes.
He even mastered driving with his left foot to attend art events and navigate Buffalo.
Opting to resume painting and employ his non-dominant hand (left), Scott now creates abstract acrylic geometric paintings, digital art, and photo digital art. Scott is now living happily in Buffalo, New York, with his Boston Terrier artist assistant and love of his life, Michelle Blue Olmstead.