Thursday Feature: Scott Teplin

Scott Teplin

‘Big School’ (2016)

Ink and watercolor on paper

52” x 70” inches

$28,000

Coinciding with the ‘rooms’ projects in recent years, (Big Hospital, Big Canal and John’s Hopkins Hospital Commission), Scott Teplin’s, “Big School,” finished in 2016, is the 4 ft. by nearly 6 ft., grandiose, whimsical daydream we all hoped our learning environments would mirror. Each room of the school is meticulously drawn by Mr. Teplin, put best in his own words; “I have always had trouble seeing the big picture in just about everything. I tend to focus on the minutia, and as such, I used to just concentrate on (obsess over) a set singular set of objects”. Evident throughout the piece is the importance of individual objects and the multitude of inspiration Mr. Teplin drew from when creating “Big School.” Looking carefully, the viewer can begin to pick out references to movies, books, and notable figures when analyzing the school room by room. For example, in quadrant three of his piece (bottom left area), one can see a door with the name ‘Principal Rooney’ on it and an office modeled after the principal’s character from the widely popular ‘80’s movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Right next door to Mr. Rooney’s office is Ms. Honey’s classroom from the Roald Dahl classic, Matilda.

A complete list of inspirations and secret messages inside “Big School” is available on Teplin’s website.

Attention to the minutiae allows “Big School” to function as an incredible mantra to what seems to be organized chaos, which schools may resemble at times, wouldn't you agree?

Scott Teplin is a mid-western American artist residing in New York City. Mr. Teplin studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (B.S., Fine Art), and the University of Washington, Seattle (M.F.A.). Teplin was featured in over 25 selected and public collections from 1995 and has been cited or a contributor to over 50 publications from 1998. He was recently awarded in July with a fellowship from the New York Foundation For the Arts (NYFA) which grants funds to artists working in 15 disciplines throughout New York State. For more information on Scott Teplin and his art contact Artworks Advisory!