Scott Listfield
I have heard that the stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of... well, you know. My paintings are known for the singular astronaut lost in a landscape cluttered with pop culture icons, corporate logos, and tongue-in-cheek science fiction references. In my first large scale show in Texas, at Austin's Preacher Gallery, I wanted to send the astronaut in my work out to explore the vast Texan landscape. The canyons and mountains of Big Bend, the empty roads and dusty train tracks of the expansive interior, the oil wells and longhorns, the stars at night and, of course, “Houston, we have a problem,” and everything else that makes Texas, well, Texas. I also found myself inspired by the sculpture of the large bronze star outside the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. It is—extremely literally—a lone star. It became a recurring theme in the work, appearing in riverbeds and the crests of hills and far off on the distant horizon, and lead me to what is perhaps an obvious title and theme for this show but one I couldn't stop thinking about.