Scott Yelonek paints the well-used, perhaps no longer loved artifacts of life, from locomotives to hotel room keys someone forgot to turn in. He says, “My photorealistic style, refined over the course of 30-plus years, lets me communicate the intricate textures and quiet dignity of each piece, whether it’s the patina of rust or the wear of time. Through my work, I want to encourage reflection on the stories these objects tell and how they continue to shape the world we live in, even after they’ve been cast aside.”
A Traveler’s Tale, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
He continues, “Through my work, I seek to breathe new life into these relics, extracting their unique character and charm in a way that fosters a connection between the past and the present. By repurposing these forgotten items into art, I aim to celebrate their beauty and complexity, inviting viewers to see what is often overlooked and forgotten.”
When Jason Williams of Altamira Fine Art saw Yelonek’s large paintings of cameras he asked him to create a show of just cameras at their Jackson Hole gallery. A new series of nine camera paintings will be featured in the show In Focus,on view at the gallery’s Scottsdale location, March 4 through 15.
Ensign Selfix 820, oil on canvas, 48 x 36"
Those of us who remember cameras other than in our smart phones remember looking through them, not at them. Yelonek’s often 3-by 4-foot canvases invite intimate inspection of the fine details of the cameras, not only the numbers used in making exposures, but trademarks, shining metal, embossed leather, as well as the marks of wear and tear.
More simple cameras like the Brownie Hawkeye in Harmony and Happiness share the space with other objects—in this instance, two brass birds inherited from his grandmother. An Ensign Selfix 829 from the 1950s stands alone, each detail, color and texture masterfully rendered.
Harmony and Happiness, oil on canvas, 30 x 36"
Reflected in the lens of the Ensign Selfix 829 is a view of the Tetons, something the camera could have been aimed at by its long-lost former owner. “I just kind of wondered about what these cameras saw and who owned them,” he says. “My mind wanders. The cameras were used to make portraits and in my paintings they become the focus of a portrait.”
Special Edition Icons, oil on canvas, 30 x 36"
When he and his daughter, an art director, were arranging objects for portraits, they decided to take a look at all the objects they had, tumbled together on a table. One complex composition evolved into A Traveler’s Tale, the tools and detritus of an interesting road trip across the Southwest.
An artist reception for the exhibition will be held on Thursday, March 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. —
Altamira Fine Art 7038 E. Main Street • Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • (480) 949-1256 • www.altamiraart.com
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