We welcome back artist Scott Listfield as he returns with his latest edition Yoshinoya. This one off commissioned piece finds Listfield’s signature astronauts as he finds himself pushing himself with adding new graphic elements and pushing the very specific sense of time and place that is painstakingly created. One of his largest paintings to date, Listfield aimed to create a new work for friends that was both simultaneously warm and inviting, yet still retains his usual mix of the alien and strange alongside it. Read on as Scott Listfield breaks down his latest edition, brings us up to speed on what he’s been up to in 2018, and much more. . .
1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about this painting, is the original still for sale?
Scott Listfield: No, unfortunately it isn’t still available. This one was a commissioned piece I did for some very good friends and collectors of my work. I don’t usually do a lot of commissions, but these folks are pretty rad, so I said yes.
1x: How did this piece fit into your latest body of work?
Listfield: Well, I paint astronauts. It’s a thing I’ve been doing for a while now. I’d say this particular piece fits in well with that theme, since it has an astronaut in it and all.
1x: What materials were used on this piece and when was it created?
Listfield: Oil on canvas. Nothing fancy. It was created over the course of about a week and a half in 2018.
1x: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight about this piece?
Listfield: This piece is part of a larger thing that I’ve been doing this year where I’ve been adding strange geometric graphic elements floating in the sky. I started doing it to add a somewhat otherworldly dimension to the scene. I’m not sure if it’s something I’ll continue to do, because painting stripes is a pain in my butt, but I really like how it looks.
1x: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Listfield: I made this painting right after two recent shows I had, one with Thinkspace in LA and the other with Spoke Art in San Francisco. For each of those shows I spent a lot of time thinking about setting my work in a very specific place and time, and then warping that sense of place a bit by throwing some weird crap in there. Like, say, a complex but indeterminate shape floating in the sky that feels vaguely technological, mystical, or extraterrestrial in nature. You know, for example. This particular painting came out of those two series, but since I was making it specifically for friends of mine, who also happen to own a few of my paintings already, I wanted it to feel simultaneously warm and inviting and a little homey, but also strange and alien. I want to give a big thanks to Tony and Lanett for steering me in a rough direction on this one, and then basically letting me do whatever I wanted with it :).
1x: What is unique about this piece compared with some of your other work?
Listfield: It’s a pretty big piece for me. The original is 40×30 inches. That’s maybe not huge for some artists, but it’s one of the larger paintings I’ve done recently. It allowed me to really go for it in some of the detail.
1x: Why should people buy this print?
Listfield: Because I’d be eternally grateful?
1x: Describe the piece in one gut reaction word.
Listfield: Noodles? No, wait: Blimp. OK, Noodle Blimp. Crap, that’s two words.
Yoshinoya by Scott Listfield – Click To Purchase
1x: It’s been a while since our last release, bring us up to speed on what you’ve been up to?
Listfield: Making lots of paintings, mostly. I did my first mural. And then my second and third. And I recently moved to Los Angeles, too. So that’s a pretty big thing.
1x: What strides do you feel you’ve been making in your work recently?
Listfield: I’ve been pretty lucky to have some one and two person shows lately. Or at least a lot more than I did earlier in my career. I’ve found that I’ve been thinking about each one as it’s own distinct story, which is a little different than I used to think about them. They each have their specific sense of place and tell a slightly different story, and now they’re starting to flow from one into the other, almost like chapters in a book. Which I think is cool, but then again, I like books.
1x: What obstacles do you feel you’ve been dealing with as far as creating new work?
Listfield: Same as everybody else. I wish there were 300 hours in a day. There’s never enough time.
1x: Are there any artists (new or old/visual or otherwise) that have been inspiring you as of late?
Listfield: Oh, there’s always so many! It feels rude to just call out one or two. But I would like to mention Josie Morway, who I’ve collaborated with on a mural and who I also did a recent two person show with at Antler Gallery in Portland. As an artist, I usually do my own thing, but it’s been fun to work a little tiny bit more collaboratively with her on some projects.
1x: What is your schedule like these next few months?
Listfield: Oh, a wee bit busy. I’ve somehow managed to trick the fine folks at Spoke Art in San Francisco into helping me publish a book on my work. It will be premiering in December in Miami at the Context Art Fair.
1x: What are some of your goals for 2018 and beyond?
Listfield: Have at least one person who is not related to me buy that book about my work that I just mentioned.
1x: What was the last piece of art that you bought?
Listfield: My wife bought me a Josh Keyes print that I’m pretty darned excited about.
1xRUN: Where else can people find more about you?
Scott Listfield: Website – Facebook @scottlistfieldartist – Twitter + Instagram @scottlistfield
-1xRUN