Geek Art Gallery: Artist: Scott Listfield

"The Parking Ticket"

Scott Listfield resides in Massachusetts. His site, the Astronaut Dinosaur is devoted to paintings of dinosaurs and - you guessed it - astronauts. The astronaut portraits are especially intriguing. They almost seem to be set in a post-human world, maybe a post-apocalyptic world, devoid of other life. They put me in mind of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“While there are probably a hundred reasons I make art, I can think of two that, if either one stopped being true, I’d probably go do something else. First, I enjoy it. That might sound stupid, but there is no real glory in making art, it’s not any more noble a thing to do with your time than anything else. If I didn’t like doing it, I’d stop.

Second, I have something to say. Art is really about communication for me (OK, and astronauts). When I started out I wasn’t very good at it (you can make your own judgement if I’m any better at it now), but I felt strongly like I had something to say, and I felt like there wasn’t anyone else who was saying it. I wanted to make paintings that were funny, but also serious. I wanted them to have a point and be a conversation. I wanted people to see them and think about them, or laugh, or both.

Of course, I also wanted people to know that I had made them. It’s important to me to create something that extends beyond my small group of friends and relatives. I guess if you have something to say, it helps if somebody is actually paying attention.

I suppose that those are fairly simple reasons, but so far they are enough to keep me returning to my studio.”