Modest Art 88 X Russell Scott

From red carpets serving as runways for the latest awards show fashions to colorfully inspiring murals donning the sides of city buildings, Los Angeles serves as an artistic haven for creatives of all kinds. As the Los Angeles art scene continues to flourish, one flower in this garden of glamour is in full bloom as he leaves his own artistic impression on every canvas carrying the stories he tells. Enter: Russell Scott.

“If you asked me five years ago, I would’ve told you painting was the last thing that came to mind,” Scott says of how his casual hobby-turned-daily profession was a complete accident. “When I moved to California, primarily dancing, and a friend of mine had moved to a new place, and I said, ‘You should let me paint something for your new place,’ and he was like, ‘What???’ I hadn’t told anybody that I played with paint like that.” It had been about 10 years since the last time he picked up a paintbrush. His hidden talent turned out to be a pleasant surprise, as his housewarming gift to his friend got a lot more attention on social media after a timelapse video was posted to his Instagram. That was all it took. “People were reaching out to me that whole summer asking if I did commissions and custom pieces, and I had never really thought about it, so I just said, ‘Sure, why not,’” Russell remembers. “I ended up spending that whole summer going to different people’s houses and painting different pieces for them. It was super cool, and I didn’t even think about charging much, but people were serious about paying me for the paintings.” The fandom that flourished from that artistic summer gave way to Russell creating the Modest Art 88 website, and his official debut in L.A.’s art scene wasn’t too far away. It was time for the art show.

After COVID couldn’t keep us inside anymore, Russell Scott was ready to bring his artwork to the masses. “People didn’t know me that much as a painter. They just knew I liked to dress nice and that I danced for the Clippers,” Scott says. “So, I had an art show, and over 600 people came to that art show. I was taken aback.” With his first art show ever being such an insane success, Russell’s talent was clearly undeniable, paving the way for his participation in Miami’s Art Basel, and his artistic impression has been blooming ever since. “With all of that happening, I really started to view my art as blooming like a flower,” he says. “It was something that was planted, but I never watered. Now, not only do I water it more, but I know how to water it and nurture it so it can keep flourishing the way it should.”

Fast forward to today, and Russell shows no signs of stopping when it comes to telling very necessary stories through his brush strokes. From custom artwork to branded apparel to exciting solo and collaboration art shows, Russell Scott is putting on for his people through Modest Art 88 and continues striving to be the spark someone needs to fuel their own passion. “I just want to inspire people to know that it’s very possible for you to do whatever that thing is that you want. I’m not classically trained in art; I didn’t study art in school. I’ve never done anything like this before, and here I am.”

Keep up with the latest from Russell Scott and Modest Art 88 at ModestArt88.com. Don’t forget to follow on social media: @russellscott_ | @modestart88