In the middle of Downtown Los Angeles, down a small side street, is an art show venue. On Oct. 11, the venue came to life.
Amidst music traveling into the quiet streets and guests mingling in and outdoors, you’ll find Russell Scott.
Scott, also known as ModestArt88, is a 36-year-old artist, originally from Brooklyn, NY who has resided in Los Angeles for the past six years.
His show, “The Flower Show,” featured Scott’s latest artwork and the use of flowers in the name was simply a metaphor of growth in the midst of all circumstances.
“Flowers bloom in all types of climates and I feel like our life is very, all types of climates. This has been a very trying year with my relationship life, my finances, my housing, just day to day being an adult,” he said, “So the purpose of it was just to kind of embrace my hardships because even though I could be going through a rough time, I’m still, like breathing, I’m still getting through it.”
Scott’s friends and colleagues recognized this and how his dedication is shown in his art.
Jay, known as J Stay Ready, has known Scott for almost six years as they both moved to LA around the same time.
He said, “[Russell] is one of the sweetest and most talented humans that I think I’ve ever met. He’s also very passionate about his work. Everything that you get… from Russell, it was truly made with heart and with an intention because nine times out of 10, there were so many other things that he could be focused on, but he took time to really pour his love into whatever he did.”
The event was held in DTLA and it was a packed house. The first room featured Scott’s latest street art featuring custom skate decks and his “Work Fucking Harder” pieces. The room also offered guests the opportunity to buy ModestArt88 merchandise such as hoodies, pins and prints.
As we move into the gallery, we see Scott’s abstract work, as well as a yellow Mustang 348Spider, with flowers flowing out of it. This is the only actual use of flowers in the gallery.
Scott’s art focuses on abstract ideas. He said while he is painting he gets the most inspiration through music and will often play the same song throughout the completion of an art piece.
“When I hear certain songs, I see certain colors. So I’m really inspired by the sound of music when I paint.”
He also uses his art as a form of release.
“[It’s] like my own kind of oasis. I usually paint all night when everyone else is sleeping. No one is bothering me. So it’s just like my own kind of island I just sink into. It’s like taking a bath for me, like it’s just quiet by yourself.”
Scott began painting in middle school as a hobby and for gifts for friends and family. During covid, he decided to pick up the brush again.
He explained that during the pandemic, he offered to paint a piece for his partner at the time. This initiated his path into making art a career as he began creating more pieces and gaining attention online. This eventually led to his first art show in 2021, entitled “OASIS.”
Scott expressed that he didn’t feel pressure from his career as he prefers to see where it leads him rather than put high expectations on it.
This is reflected in the theme of his show as its purpose is to encourage people to “let go of worrying about the yet-to-be and embrace living in the now.”
Lia Bass, a friend of Scott, said “I love that he used the flowers in bloom and as artists, because he’s an artist, and I feel like most of his friends are creatives as well, I think it is really important for us to feel like we’re still blooming. Even at times where things feel stagnant, or we need to stay resilient and still know that we still bloom no matter what, like darkness, light.”
Scott expressed, “I feel like we as individuals don’t really applaud ourselves for achieving things that we think we aren’t achieving, or things that we’re even going through. So that was really the whole purpose of the flowers, to give you flowers, to give myself flowers. It’s more of a celebratory thing, just for achieving life.”
You can find and purchase artwork from Scott on his website, and find him on instagram @modestart88.
