Berenice Abbott American Photographer Portrait of Lucia Joyce Paris 1926 Daughter ofIrish Author James Joyce Signed Original Silver Gelatin Print Fine Art Photograph Andrew Ward Gallery Fine Art Photography Dealer

Artist's Bio

"Mysterious" and "Poetic" are the words most often used to describe William Scott's photography. These are also the qualities that unite his broad and diverse subject matter. Whether he is photographing the warm textures of Mexico, the ancient architecture and dramatic light of Ireland, or the collision where land meets water along the rugged California Coast, Scott's work is as much concerned with what is implied as it is with what is described.

Scott considers photography to be a search for insight and meaning "Photography can allow us a glimpse beyond the obvious... a subliminal flash of the illusive, the intangible, the fleeting..." To Scott these qualities are necessary for successful imagery.

William Scott is a master printer. Each of his meticulously handcrafted photographs is the culmination of over twenty years of dedication to the craft of photographic printing. After graduation from Humboldt State University in California with a Bachelors Degree in Art, Scott moved to San Francisco, where he furthered his skills by working as a fine art photography printer and print finisher for five years. Currently, he and his family live in a small coastal community in Northern California.

Scott's photography is widely collected and represented across the United States.

Artist's Statement

For photographer William Scott, Ireland has always formed a significant part of his identity. Both of his parents emigrated from Ireland to the United States in the 1950's and William spent many of his youthful summers visiting family and exploring rural Ireland.

During these trips William was exposed to Irish culture at an intimate level. He would hear his grandparents speaking in Gaelic and was taught at least one useful phrase "dun an doras" (shut the door) which he would be told when he burst through the cottage door out of the cold after one of his trips "exploring" the family farm. These jaunts "exploring" would take him scrambling over rock walls to visit his uncle's shepard dogs and livestock or to the ruins at the top of the hill or, in adolescence, on long walks along the railroad tracks with his cousin. At other times the whole family might attend an Irish ceili (a gathering for music and dance) or visit extended family in other cottages on nearby farms where there would be an impromptu ceili near the hearth of a turf fire.

Through all of this Ireland's rich history was visually evident to William presenting itself in the many castles, dolmans, round towers, stone crosses, and other historical ruins. These historical artifacts set against the dramatic weather patterns of Ireland kindled William's imagination and heightened his awareness of the power of the senses, and the power of place.

In 1996, 2004 and 2006 William made trips to Ireland with the purpose of photographing a place, which has profoundly contributed to his identity.