Writing/Essay/Journal
Scott West has been focusing lately on animals in his paintings as a way of capturing the essence of the subject’s soul. What animal would you depict yourself as or alongside? What are the characteristics of this animal which you feel reflect your own characteristics? How does Scott use his talent to express the human condition? What would be the most satisfying part of each form of art? What would be the most frustrating?

Activity
As a performer with band Cloud Cult, West creates paintings live onstage as the band plays. He begins by painting abstraction which he feels flows with the music; he then builds a narrative based on this perception. Create your own performance painting from a piece of music. Is there a particular type of music that you find more suitable to this type of performance painting?

West is also trying to work on getting a narrative into a single composition. “The story is in a look.” Create your own piece of art that tells a story just by the look on someone’s face.