Roots

Thinking about ancestors a lot these days. My grandpa, who passed away four years ago, was an artist. Albert Quentin Scott. A Santa Rosa native he made his living painting signs for businesses around Sonoma County. He learned the biz from his dad, George Scott. At one point (in the 40s?) the Scott Sign Company* was a father and son operation run out of the garage behind the family home on Humboldt Street, about 6 blocks from where I live today. I walk by that house sometimes. Time warp.

He had success as a signpainter. There was a time when he kept the dome of the Empire Building downtown gold-leafed. He was an inventor, a talented cartoonist and he painted portraits and natural landscapes. His favorite subject was the giant redwoods of Northern California. There is still a large tile inlay of one of his redwood vistas installed in the courtyard in front of Roxy on the Square. Some of his paintings of the big trees hang in the Blood Bank of the Redwoods. He was prolific and most the paintings in his personal collection were dispersed among his six daughters after his death.

I feel a partcular connection to my Grandpa.We shared an artistic gift and that gave us a common language. He came to my first open studio. I think he was proud. He looked thoughtfully at my paintings which are nothing like his work and commented "You certainly have all the colors in there." I took that as both a compliment and a gentle critcism. He was a master of the restrained palette and took pride in his technical skill. I have a more intuitive approach. Since then I have played at cultivating a more tempered use of color...sometimes.

His picture now sits on our Ancestor Altar that we set out every October leading up to the Day of the Dead, November 1. He influences me now from beyond -wherever that is. Hopefully someplace with redwoods. Just like those other artistic ancestors Georgia, Pablo, Freida. They're all at hand, those who painted before.

*Today Scott Sign is Scott Architectural Graphics www.scottag.com .