InLiquid artist member Scott Troxel is one of over 300 amazing artists that InLiquid has had the privilege of serving throughout Greater Philadelphia. Currently, Troxel’s work can be seen in The Hadley, a mid-century modern-themed restaurant within the historic Park Towne Place Museums District Residences. InLiquid has curated and facilitated the artwork added to Park Towne Place’s permanent collection of over 150 pieces created by local artists, including Troxel’s pieces.
Scott always had an eye for aesthetics and an artistic imagination, gravitating to jobs that got his creative juices flowing; but after two decades in product development and marketing, Scott decided to quit his job to pursue his first love: modern art. While he started with painting, Scott soon found woodworking and wall sculpture. Scott was able to find materials for his work in more than a few unlikely places. “My neighbor, a builder, had a full woodshop 50 yards from my backdoor and he had all these discarded construction materials sitting there. I asked him, ‘What are you doing with that wood?’ When he replied, ‘throwing it away,’ I asked to have it. My daughter still talks about how embarrassing it was to have her dad dumpster diving [for mahogany] on her first date. I ended up using that mahogany for seven or eight pieces.”
Scott is a student of mid-century modernism, “where wood and organic shapes were combined with other materials to suggest a type of futurism, though now they are considered vintage” – what Scott calls his “retro-futuristic modern aesthetic.” He finds inspiration everywhere, but nothing gives him ideas quite like studying the lines of a 1950’s car or house.
Although Scott recognizes the immense challenges facing artists, galleries, and non-profits like InLiquid due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he maintains a sense of humor: “With this whole coronavirus quarantine thing, I think people are getting a real glimpse of the [solitary studio] life of an artist!” Still, Scott sees the pandemic’s silver lining: “Now, you can shop for art around the world at a zillion different galleries. To me, that’s very interesting because it can be daunting but at the same time, someone could be sitting anywhere in the world and see my artwork and buy something.”
Scott feels fortunate to have joined InLiquid three years ago. “InLiquid’s mission really connected with me. InLiquid is so deeply rooted in the Philadelphia art scene that the contacts that they have and their ability to open up opportunities for artists is, I think, unprecedented. What you guys do at InLiquid allows me to keep doing what I do on a daily basis.”
This holiday season, support your creative community and free public encounters with local art by making a gift to InLiquid. Your investment in local art comes back tenfold in the countless free public programs we offer. Can you support art in your community with a gift today?
When you support InLiquid, you connect local artists with audiences across the Delaware Valley and around the world.
