Scott Fraser

Scott Fraser (b. 1957, Evanston, Illinois) is one of America’s leading realist still life painters. Mixing a classical approach to painting with contemporary objects and innovative compositions, Fraser experiments with cause and effect as well as sleight of hand, putting his own unique stamp on the subject matter. His newest works acknowledge the changing dynamics of the art world in the era of face-swap apps and virtual reality, showing Fraser’s evolution as an artist in contemporary times.

The precision of Fraser’s realism in depicting the often playful and even surreal subjects of his paintings brings humor to the forefront of many of his works, qualified by his labor-intensive technique. In this way, his works take on more depth; each whimsical goldfish or rubber duck is transformed by the viewer’s comprehension of the hours of precise and exhaustive technical execution that brings them to life. The still life tradition invites viewers to see from the painter’s perspective, noting the changes in color and light with the highly specialized eye of the artist. Fraser invites his viewer to both laugh with him and acknowledge the intense labor of his art. Beyond this juxtaposition, Fraser encourages his audience to question not only their reality, but the way they perceive things to be real. In the words of art writer William Kherbek, “Fraser’s works turn the viewer’s gaze inward and pose the profound, encompassing question: what is it about reality that makes it seem so real?”

Scott Fraser’s work is in major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the De Young Museum in San Francisco; the Denver Art Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa. His work has been reviewed in publications such as The San Francisco Chronicle, ARTnews, Art Daily, and The Denver Post, among others. Fraser lives and works in Longmont, Colorado.