Scot McKenzie - Sympathetic Metal Response

Artist Statement

Currently I am drawn towards depicting physical forms directly in metal; attempting to give form to what may lie just beyond what can easily be seen. I am fascinated with surrealist expression and the nature of vision itself, across ordinary and non-ordinary reality. I work primarily in steel, stainless steel, and bronze, using a palette of direct metal techniques.

There is a kind of war taking place against the natural environment waged by humankind–a war waged by us against ourselves. It is rooted in a lack of self-knowledge and expressed through greed and modern technology. Building off of this conflict is both a painful challenge and a source of inspiration for me. I strive to create sculpture that is rich in emotional content and provides opportunities for contemplation and introspection.

Artist Bio

Scot McKenzie is a sculptor and furniture designer specializing in metal and wood. He graduated from Davis & Elkins College where he studied language and performance, majoring in both Theater and Spanish. He toured internationally performing and teaching Shakespeare, before arriving in Washington, DC in 1998. While working as an actor and director in theater and film, Scot began an apprenticeship studying direct-metal sculpture with artist Robert Cole. As a founding member, Scot helped create the Capital Fringe Festival in 2006 and went on to become director of the festival during its heyday, designing and building original performance spaces throughout the nation’s capital. He has worked in the creation and production of sculpture, performance and public art for 30 years, having piloted numerous projects from the planning stages through implementation and installation. Using metal sculpture as a context for learning, Scot teaches welding courses in his personal studio space. He has lived and worked in Mexico, Japan, Korea, Canada and Italy. Since 2015, Scot has been an artist-in-residence at Red Dirt Studio in Mount Rainier, MD, where he lives and works today.