Scott Guion is a self- taught artist and musician born February 9, 1971 in New Orleans, the youngest of three, to a working mother and musician father.
He discovered art at an early age, devouring classic horror movies, cartoons, and comic books. As a teen, he submerged himself in Rock and Roll, Hardcore, and Heavy Metal, played in bands, drew his own flyers, t-shirts, and covers for demo tapes and CDs.
He landed his first paying art job at twenty-five at the House of Blues in New Orleans, drawing chalkboards to advertise the club’s musical acts. There, he began to develop his voice as an artist, mining the powerful combined energy of music and art, fueled by a dream parade of bands and the venue’s extensive collection of Southern Folk Art.
His work in New Orleans led to being hired in 1996 by L.A. artist Brent Spears onto the scenic paint crew that extensively decorates H.O.B. venues nationwide. Scott painted the first of many murals at H.O.B. Chicago, and has continued to work for more than a decade with H.O.B. and other venues from coast to coast in partnership with Holly Mandot of Mandot Paint and Design.
Scott has done extensive freelance work as an illustrator including designs for Tabasco brand wearable art for Chiliwear, concert posters for Superfly Promotions, and unique signage for a variety of other business endeavors.
In 2001, inspired by Louisiana Folk Artist and friend Dr. Bob, Scott began making his own paintings on Masonite, first displayed in Dr. Bob’s New Orleans Bywater studio and famous N.O. soul food restaurant Jacques’ Imo’s. In recent years, exhibitions of his paintings at New Orleans’ Farrington/Smith, Big Top, and Barrister’s Galleries, as well as the Contemporary Art Center have been met with wide acclaim. He now travels extensively to create murals and decorative painting in the homes and businesses of clients nationwide.
While not easily categorized, Scott’s painting style fuses influences as varied as American Folk Art, (Edward Hicks, Edward Hopper, Norman Rockwell), early cartoon animation, (Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Max Fleischer), 1960’s Psychedelic Posters (Rick Griffin, Bonnie MacLean) and Underground Comics (Robert Williams, Robert Crumb) with academic art including that of the Flemish and Netherlands masters (Vermeer, Van der Weyden, Memling, Van Eyck, Bosch) and Surrealists (Dali, de Chirico). Other influences include modern masters Joe Coleman, Todd Schorr, Ron English, and Robert Williams.
To experience a Scott Guion painting is to happen upon a real place, just in time to witness a brilliant mob prank pulled off by an improbable cast of characters in an alternate reality. His murals open landscapes where the familiar juxtaposes with the surreal. His design elements segue from graceful to raucous, hitting any note in between.
Scott lives in Nashville with his wife, artist and musician Melanie Hill Guion. Their son, Mikey, is mostly influenced by Deep Purple and Spongebob Squarepants. They have one cat and two dogs.