Scott Simler's Radiant Realeyezations

 

Scott Simler’s Radiant Realeyezations 

By Tom Wachunas

“…Scott left deep and lasting impact on us here at BZTAT Studios. His smiles, his quiet diligence as an artist, his gentle soul – all are missed greatly. This exhibit is bittersweet. We are so thrilled to share the many works of this phenomenal artist, yet also sad that his presence and creativity are now spoken of in past tense. His art, however, allows his presence to be felt each and every day. We are honored to share it with his adoring fans.”  - Vicki Boatright/ BZTAT

“…So take a walk through Scott Simler’s re-imagined worlds and see how they challenge your notions about time, space, narrative, how beauty is created, and who it’s created by. I guarantee that the journey will be a delightful one - and that you’ll be changed by your travels.”  - Craig Joseph (2022)

EXHIBIT:  Scott Simler Retrospective Art Exhibition: Honoring the Art of a Friend / BZTAT Studios at Canton Creator Space, 730 Market Avenue S., Canton, OH / Through August 3, 2024 / Viewing hours Monday – Saturday Noon to 5pm / 330-371-3150

 http://bztatstudios.com/scott-simler-retrospective-art-exhibition-honoring-the-art-of-a-friend/

 

   I herewith offer my heartfelt THANK YOU to Vicki Boatright – the artist BZTAT – for her remarkable service to individuals with developmental disabilities, to those she has called “differently-abled” and undervalued artists. Her impassioned encouragement and mentoring of their capacities to create unique perspectives on being alive is a truly valuable enrichment of Canton’s cultural ethos.

   And so…here’s a history. His story. Scott Simler. Though he passed away on April 28, 2024, the engaging art of this prolific painter remains ever in our midst. This exhibit is an enthralling here-and-now witnessing of an indefatigable response to life. An electrifying testament, to be sure.

   You’ll find nothing too obtuse, too sinister, or too threatening, about Simler’s eye-popping paintings. In many of his works you might notice some stylistic nods to such modernist influencers as Van Gogh, Picasso, Gaughin, or hints of Matisse. But Simler’s pictures aren’t academic imitations or copies so much as appreciative conversations with inspiring legacies. Think of them perhaps as sympathetic, reverential dialogues that Simler has recontextualized into spatially playful personal moments, memories, scenes – a world, indeed a legacy of his own making.

    His is an uncomplicated yet immersive world, one all abuzz with bright colors, confident lines and lively shapes floating, bouncing, dancing with a radiant, unmitigated optimism. A welcome and courageous salve for our tormented times.

   Scott Simler lives among us with his art. It’s a fearless, joyous art. It’s art that simply asks us to remember our own ability to smile.