Bill Scott (American, b. 1956)On the TableSigned and dated 81 bottom right, oil on canvas.44 x 40 1/8 in. (111.8 x 101.9cm)PROVENANCE:The Artist.Private Collection, Pennsylvania (acquired directly from the above in 1982).EXHIBITION:"Flower Paintings," Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 29 - August 21, 1981."Recent Paintings: Martha Armstrong, Jan C. Baltzell, Bill Scott, Tim Van Campen, Heidi Williams," Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 24 - March 31, 1982.NOTE:When leaving art school I painted mostly tabletop still lifes and occasional interiors with figures. A year later I lived in Paris for several months. In Paris I became unsatisfied with what I'd been painting. At the end of the trip I met the abstract painter, Joan Mitchell, who invited me to visit her home. I was overwhelmed by her paintings and works-in-progress that she showed me in her studio. I felt overwhelmed as if I wanted to start learning how to paint all over again. I didn't have a clue as to what to do. Upon returning to Philadelphia, I sublet an apartment on Walnut Street that had a big room with North light. It was there, in the late winter and spring of 1981, where I painted five works. In hindsight, I now realize the looser brushwork and color I was experimenting with were clearly prompted by meeting Joan. This painting, On the Table, was one of these five works. Potted plants, leaves, and flowers served as visual references as I painted. The title references my earlier still lifes. Two of the five paintings, like this one, are 44 x 40 inches. The other two are 44 x 36 inches. The others, Spring Painting and March Dew, were sold from early group shows and are now in private collections. Another painting, Vétheuil Daffodil Yellow, is now in the collection of the Woodmere Art Museum. Unfortunately, the fifth painting was destroyed years ago in an apartment fire. These are the first of my abstract paintings that I exhibited. - Bill Scott, October 11, 2020