Addie’s Window 

Scott Gustafson painted ‘Addie’s Window,’ using the traditional medium of oil on canvas. The result is a highly detailed scene, rendered with meticulous brushwork and layering of glazes. The artist’s process allows for precise control over color and form, and the building up of the painting's narrative. You can see his technique particularly in the rendering of textures, like the bark of the tree, the soft feathers of the owl, and the varied surfaces of the books, each suggesting age and use. Gustafson’s chosen medium connects him to a long history of representational painting, from the Renaissance masters to the 19th-century illustrators. Yet, the amount of time required to produce this work is significant. His labor speaks to the value we still place on detailed handwork, even in our age of mass production and digital art. The painting evokes the craft of storytelling, inviting us to imagine the worlds contained within Addie’s book. Ultimately, ‘Addie’s Window’ asks us to consider the time and skill involved in bringing imaginative worlds to life through an engagement with process.