W
e’ve all heard the adage, “those who can, do;
those who can’t, teach.” In the case of art teacher Scott
Downs, the adage just doesn’t apply. Since retiring from
teaching high school art in 2013, the talented local painter
now has the luxury to focus on his own creative work in
his downtown Morgan Hill art studio.
“Though I wanted a career in art, I envisioned working
[other] jobs to enable me to paint,” Downs said of his
decision to teach. He credits that decision with giving
him the opportunity to make a career of art.
The second of two children born to Arnold and June
Downs in Jacksonville, Florida, he grew up as a Navy “brat”
while his father lit up the skies of the South Pacific theater
during World War II. Flying Hellcats and Corsairs in the
Solomon Islands campaign, the highly decorated fighter
pilot had a “pretty wide-ranging influence on my life,”
Downs fondly recalled.
“He taught me to seek the best possible outcome for
everyone involved in whatever I’m a part of,” Downs said
of his father, who passed away in 2002.
When it came to his early interest in art, Downs said his
father “released me to pursue it even though he didn’t claim
to understand it.”
Downs gravitated to art in fourth grade when his history
teacher gave his class a choice to either give a speech, write
a paper, or create an art piece. The art piece “seemed the
easiest choice” so Downs made a pencil drawing of California’s
Fort Ross and received favorable reviews. “I became the art
guy.” He’s been drawing and painting ever since.
Active in sports throughout his schooling, Downs attended
Los Gatos High School, West Valley Community College, and
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
San Diego State University. He earned degrees in fine art
(with an emphasis in painting and printmaking) and world
history, graduating with “Honors in Art” in 1973.
After three-year teaching stints at Saratoga High School
and Los Gatos Christian School, sandwiched around
a sales position with Mayflower Van Lines in Oregon,
Downs returned to the Bay Area. In 1985, he was hired at
Los Gatos High School, where he taught art and coached
sports until his retirement. He is married with three adult
children and two grandchildren.
Downs has done silk screening and etchings, but his
primary medium is oil and acrylics on canvas. His studio
displays a wide range of subjects including figures, sports
themes, and some abstract or design-oriented pieces, but
he mostly he focuses on landscapes. Primarily a representa-
tional artist, he often paints from photographic images, and
adds nuances of light, shadows and colors that elevate his
work beyond photographic realism. He said that he strives
to portray his feelings in his art.
“I’m a Christian. I believe in God,” Downs explains. “I
hope to translate my interpretation of what the Lord has
brought to me in such a way that others will see His world
in a new and beautiful way.”
Downs is a member and current President of Valle del
Sur Art Guild and a participant in its Art Around Town
program. In Morgan Hill, he has a permanent exhibit
in Josephine’s Bakery and Café and will have a display
in Rosy’s at the Beach restaurant during the months of
December and January. View more of Scott Downs’ art
online at vdsart.org and email him at scottddowns7
@gmail.com.
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