T
he last time Scott Tallman Powers had
a solo show was in 2014, after which
he promptly vanished into the wild. “I
disappeared for awhile, into the mountains,
into the bush in Alaska. I was just looking for
subject matter,” he says. “I learned a lot from
that period, and I often learned it the hard way.
Living in a camper, sleeping outdoors, living
off the fish I caught...it changes the way you
see things.”Now back in the “lower 48,” Powers
has turned his attention to warmer climates,
namely Mexico, a place that captivated his
attention long before Alaska and one that he
was excited to return to. “My heart is really in
Mexico, just all over. I spent a lot of time in
the Copper Canyon area in northern Mexico
and then in Oaxaca, where I mostly wanted
to see the people and these wonderful market
scenes,” Powers, now based in Kalispell,Montana, says. “It’s such a different pace of
life, especially in the indigenous areas where
the people are so kind. I learned so much from
seeing the world through their eyes.”
One of the things that attracted him to
Oaxaca was the color, everything from the
buildings and the clothing to the produce
lined up with pride in the market and
the various tarps that covered the vendors.
“The way the produce was lined up was
incredible. They had it all so beautifully
displayed because they had so much pride
in their work,” he adds. “You see what they
could do with their hands, and you had so
much respect for them.”
He also ventured into more rural areas
to paint the Tarahumara Indians, who were
the mesmerizing subjects in George Carlson’s
famous one-man show at the Smithsonian
National Museum of History in 1982.
Powers will be showing his long-awaited
new work at a solo show beginning March 16
at Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.
Works in the show include Spoon Man, a
work showing a man plucking at a guitar in
Oaxaca, and Jewels of the Auction, which
shows a market full of colorful detail and
dramatic shadows. “I was in the town of
Tlacolula, Mexico, for the Sunday market
when locals told me about an animal auction
just outside of town. So I jumped into the back
of a small pick-up jammed with farmers and
headed over to the sale. I was amazed by the
number of cows, horses and burros waiting
for their time on the auction block,” Powers
says. “As the dust swirled, the local people
bought and sold their animals that are vital to
their livelihoods.”
Collectors Wendie and Steve Olshan are
continuously impressed by Powers’ work and
careful observation of his subjects. “Whether
Scott is painting scenes from foreign orFrom snow to sage
SCOTT TALLMAN POWERS
UPCOMING SHOW
Up to 20 works
March 16-23, 2019
Settlers West Galleries
6420 N. Campbell Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85718, (520) 299-2607
http://www.settlerswest.comSHOW LOCATION TUCSON, AZ
Wedding Day, oil, 15 x 13”