Visting Artist: Scott Ross

On February 11, 2020, our Contemporary art class visited the hand-built ceramics lab at Sacramento State.  Visiting artist Scott Ross was in the process of creating his newest sculpture which is inspired by Abstract Expressionist artwork. Ross explained his process in sculpture making, specifically for his work in progress. I thought the experience was very interesting.

Visiting artist Scott Ross explaining his new sculpture at the Sacramento State hand-built ceramics lab

About the Artist

Scott Ross earned BA degrees (1997) in Ceramics and Creative Writing from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. In 2012, Ross received his MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has built and fired wood-kilns in his home studio since 1997.

Process

Ross stated that he makes preliminary sketches for his sculptures.  These sketches are designed to show a form, not any details. They are done to figure out the right form for the final sculpture.

This is a collaborative sculpture. When our class visited the lab, a couple ceramics students were packing clay into a sculpture cast. Viewing this process was very interesting as it allowed me to see how a collaborative work operated and how the main artist utilizes other artists to assist him.

Clay slabs that Ross has started to build forms with

Ross displaying his preliminary sketches for his work

What was his inspiration?

Ross mentioned that he was inspired by abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in the creation of this work in progress. He explained that the physicality of his process is similar to Pollock's "action painting" as Ross uses action building by throwing down slabs of clay to create a form. Like Rothko, Ross wants viewers to see more than just shapes in his artwork. His process of "action building" may look like random forms, but these forms come from brutalist architecture. This demonstrates Ross's intent to express an underlying meaning.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was also a source for Ross's work in progress. He was around when this significant event took place, but he was not impacted by it until several years after it occurred. He remembers the fragments of the wall after it fell.  The individual graffiti covered pieces became abstract to him. For his current sculpture, he plans to gas fire it, then apply a slip in graffiti form so that the sculpture resembles a relic of the past.

Sac State sculpture students assisting Ross in the clay casting process

Purpose

Ross discussed how we are polarized because of society. He wanted to make an abstract expressionist piece that is polarizing in order to make his viewers think. Ross wants to make something that is not easy to accept since we have been so disposed to beautiful things in this world.  In reality, the world is imperfect, and this work will allow viewers to acknowledge that our world is imperfect. There are beautiful things in the world, but the imperfections that lie beneath cannot be hidden.

Normally, I am not fond of abstract expressionist art because it looks like something the artist put together last minute. However, after hearing Ross explain the purpose behind his work, I understand that it is more than just random forms. It demonstrates his response to a significant event that impacted him.

For more information on artist Scott Ross, visit: https://scottrossstudio.org/