By Lynne Schmitz
San Luis Obispo County has long been home to a plethora of very talented individuals, wonderfully skilled in all the arts — painters, sculptors, musicians, actors, artisans, and writers of note. They’re also our friends and neighbors. On October 5, 2024, one very talented and prolific multi-media artist who has lived and worked in this area since 1985 passed away.
David Alan Scott (David Settino Scott) was 86 years old and he left a vast and varied legacy of work. He graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Arts degree and secured a position in the movie industry, working in special effects, honing his artistic skills on studio sets for a number of popular movies. When he left that industry, he and his wife settled in Morro Bay, where he became a professor of art at Cuesta College. Living in this area, he found a peaceful haven to devote time to his own art, beginning a successful career in painting, sculpture, and other media.
When he decided to build his own studio, he chose San Miguel for economic reasons. In 2010, he gave me a tour of his studio here, which was then filled with paintings and sculptures both completed and in progress. Working with his architect, David envisioned a two-story building that would reflect other local structures such as the mission, the Flouring Mill, and grain silos.
Suffice it to say, some local residents had very strong opinions on the style and materials to be used. Once plans were penciled out, he decided to go with a single story. The outside of the tall narrow building is a pastel shade of stucco, reminiscent of an old adobe and trimmed with corrugated metal. Facing Mission Street a tower is girded in the metal to provide architectural interest. Inside, the studio is spacious with high ceilings, flooded with light from high north-facing clerestory windows to provide ideal working conditions. The cement floor features large geometric patterns.
He showed me a series of self-portraits that he had been working on for several years. Wall décor included four fanciful “trophies” made of cardboard, hot glue, and encaustics, which were mounted on the wall. David drew inspiration from mythological gods and fashioned his own, naming each one. Busts of Buddhist monks, a rendition of an Egyptian queen, a series of figure studies and an easel displaying a work-in-progress filled part of the space.
David’s passion for social justice was evident in his art. His work was is widely known and enjoyed, not only in California but in other states and some countries in South America and Europe. His inspiration will reach out to others who love art as he did.
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