Scott Harbison

Outsider artist painting: 'They Came Upon A Midnight Clear'

2025

Scott Harbison grew up in northern New Jersey and had an early fascination with cartoons. Somewhat introverted, he seemed to daydream his way through his childhood school years, but consistently turned to drawing to calm his overly active mind. Developing an interest in rock music in his early teens, he found this to be another outlet where he seemed to be able to focus. Quite by coincidence, he found himself joining an original rock band that would have him in the eye of the punk rock storm that was fast becoming a scene in New York’s East Village, where he fronted a band that would have him onstage at famous NYC haunts like Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s at the age of 15. This chapter would set the stage for what would become a decades long battle with substance abuse. Despite this unfortunate progression, Scott managed to start a family, birth several other original rock bands and learn to become a plasterer and high-end apartment painter with his own business. Years later, with the help of a recovery program, some semblance of grace entered Scott’s life and he found sobriety. He has been able to stay sober for some years now. This new lease on life availed him the opportunity to revisit his artistic roots he had left behind as a child. That coupled with a DIY attitude he had adopted from the punk rock days, Scott, stubborn, resilient and tenacious, began to teach himself how to paint. Shortly after the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, he started spending late nights alone, where his demons, and some seemingly innocent monsters, revealed themselves on the canvas. Scott then started an Instagram page and his followers have been mushrooming ever since. He gained the attention of several galleries, including Galerie Lucida, which presented Creature Comforts, a solo exhibition of his work in 2024. He also participated in a Residency At ESKFF in the Spring of 2022.