Dramatic, refined, classical, Scott Potter reinvents the art of decoupage.
Scott Potter creates elegant place settings and serving ware for the well dressed table, home accents both small scaled and large: statements pieces, screens, mirrors, wall installations, accessories for the bath, accessories for the desk at home, customized corporate gifts, and in memoriam tributes.
First showcased in the USA at Bergdorf Goodman in 1995 and for a dozen years thereafter, he premiered his semi-annual collections on the famous 7th floor.
His designs have also been represented at additional prestigious stores both in the US and abroad to include Asprey, Harrods, and Thomas Goode in London, Harvey Nichols in Istanbul, Birks & Sons in Canada, Isetan Mitsukoshi in Japan, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Ritz-Carlton hotels, and at many fine gift, interior design, and jewelry establishments throughout the United States.
As a licensee with both the world renowned Winterthur Museum in Delaware and the Hearst Castle Collection at San Simeon in California, Scott Potter currently designs and premieres exclusive product lines which honor the elegance and exceptional acquisitions of these museums’ superb antiquities.
Drawn from the origins of eighteenth century decoupage technique, and inspired by the print rooms of English castles, Scott Potter designs and creates exquisite objects d’art that have been collected by celebrities, art collectors, interior designers, and royal families.
His special commissions include a presentation vase for The Lady Soames, daughter of Winston Churchill at the launching of a naval ship named in her father’s honor, and wedding gifts for 1,200 guests at Blenheim Palace.
Scott Potter’s decoupage technique: embellished hand cut reproductions of fine prints, multi-textured handmade papers, and many layered gilding and glazes under glass with careful attention to composition, detail, vivid coloration, and craftsmanship.
Scott Potter personally designs and produces all items that he creates in his studio, each finished with his hand signed signature. Made in the USA, his stylish, inventive designs honor European classically based traditions: striking, lavish, jewel-like, and sumptuous.
Scott Potter is a decorative accessories designer who lives in Portland, Maine. Trained as a classical ballet dancer with teachers of international renown, Scott Potter danced and choreographed professionally with many prestigious companies throughout his performing career. Since 1992 when his design company was founded, he has brought the exciting artistry and dramatic flair of a principal dancer on stage to his equally dramatic art of collage under glass.
Scott Potter comments:
“When I began the transition from my life as a professional ballet dancer to my life as a designer, I wanted to establish a clear artistic direction, and to stay consistent with that decision. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to design for a specialized decorative accessories market where clients seeking elegant and dramatic ornamental art would have a choice of my designs. I also knew that it was essential that my designs not be replicated at lowered costs, but maintained at my standard of excellence from my own studio location.
In a machine made world, I think it is important to my clients that what they buy is made here in the United States, and that it has been made by hand. This support of Made in America has a higher cost per item, but a greater satisfaction of ownership as the pieces are both very unique and not commonly seen in stores everywhere. My goal as a designer is to maintain the rarity and the special allure of the qualities that accompany a collection of carefully made limited production pieces.”
“When I create my collections, I draw from the European traditions of fine print making which inspire me with their extraordinary authenticity to the natural world. The refined, precise artistic technique of these masters of early centuries is essential to my signature ‘look’ when constructing each collage under glass. I think of the process as a form of trompe l’oeil painting with papers instead of brushes.”
“To refresh what is offered to my customers, I design new collections annually for both the Spring/Summer and Fall/Holiday seasons. There are also my classic designs which I always maintain because of their great popularity, and I look to add new styles of glassware frequently as I discover interesting new shapes and sizes that adapt well to the decoupage technique.”
“While I maintained my own gallery for many years in Portland, Maine, the needs and purchasing interests of my customer base have changed with the times. My gallery is now the world as accessed through the internet which allows me to bring globally the immediacy of my studio and my artwork to everyone. Though it has been many years since I was a dancer, I have a lifelong connection to that world where I worked with costumes, sets, and lighting to fashion the artistic ‘whole’ that was needed before I went on stage to perform. This knowledge has always been an integral part of my background, and it is a resource that I always use in my development as a visual artist.
I feel fortunate that I have these aesthetic experiences to connect to my present love of interior design and art as I constantly move forward to present new and imaginative concepts of interior decoration.”