Local painter Scott Debus keeps his head 'UP'

Scott Debus is preparing for his opening reception at SCOOP Studios.

The solo debut of all new works called "UP" will be 5-8 p.m. Sept. 4 at 57 1/2 Broad St. Debus will have 80 individual pieces at the show.

He has been working on large-scale mosaic paintings that are comprised of many smaller paintings that relate to one another.

"Everybody is intertwined, that's what I'm thinking about when I'm painting," Debus said. "Each piece is interacting with the next one, you can't tell where one stops and one begins."

He said that he likes to keep his prices low and that allowing people to buy the smaller parts of the larger painting is an alternative to print making. The mosaic style is a new direction his art has taken.

Debus is also interested in exploring more realist paintings that would force him to slow down his pace and pay closer attention to detail. His work now consists of a combination of figurative, abstract and a graffiti style that is expressed as quick paintings and based on intuition.

If you want to meet Debus, go to Scoop Studios on Friday or see him painting live at Eye Level Art's 103 Spring Gallery on Sept. 12

Next Event: Opening Reception for "UP" 5-8 p.m. Friday at Scoop Studios, 57 1/2 Broad St. Free.

Web site: www.scoopcontemporary.com.

Contact: scottdebus@mac.com or info@scoopcontemporary.com.

Birth date and place: Dec. 11, Queens, N.Y.

Residence: Downtown, 3 years.

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, State University of New York.

Career: Teaches painting and claymation at Creative Spark and is the co-curator and co-organizer of Kulture Klash, a large bi-annual art show.

Price range: $50-$5,000

Medium: Mostly acrylic medium. I'll use anything that's sitting around. A lot of my paintings are on old cardboard.

How did you start painting?: "I started painting as a little boy because I was born deaf. I learned to communicate visually instead of verbally. I've been drawing and painting ever since I can remember."