Alyssa Scott is an illustrator, animator, and landscape painter living in San Jose, California. She graduated from BYU with a degree in illustration and dabbles in many creative fields.
You have lived in Utah, New Hampshire, and now California. How does East Coast Mormon Art differ from West Coast? Hmm…that’s an interesting question. There are far fewer members of the Church on the East Coast, so I would say that the West Coast definitely has a larger and more established community. Most of the artists I can think of who center their work on religious themes live on the West Coast. But there are a lot of Mormon artists on the East Coast working in different industries. And I think the community is growing out there. I know the BYU alumni association in New England has started hosting an annual Mormon Art Show. Also, artists J Kirk Richards and Julia Blake transformed an old church in Massachusetts into a studio to host workshops and residencies. There are some great things happening out there.
You spent a few years working for J Kirk Richards. What did you learn about art as a career? I loved working with Kirk—he’s so insightful! I learned a lot about his painting process and other business tips, but the thing I learned from him that I think about the most actually has to do with faith. To have a career in art, you have to have faith. You have to have faith in yourself and faith that if you work your hardest, good things will happen for you. I know it takes time to build up momentum. It did with him, so you have to be patient through that. But I’ve seen the amount of projects he works on and the new ideas he tries, and that hard work always made me feel like if I worked hard too, things would fall into place.
You won a contest for your print of the Great Gatsby. Yes, Warner Bros had an art contest when the film “The Great Gatsby” was about to come out in 2013. They picked my piece and they flew me and my husband out to New York City to attend the premiere. It was the most surreal experience. We had to get all dressed up for the red carpet, and the director Baz Luhrmann came to meet us. He gave some great encouragement for pursuing a career in the arts. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet Leo.
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