Scott, who began drawing and painting in 1997 to help cope when her son went missing for a time, turned near-tragedy into a fruitful career as a painter and storyteller. Her son was eventually found safe and is currently enjoying a career in the military, she said.
At first, Scott said, she drew and painted from newspaper photos, articles and anything colorful. She became fascinated with faces and practiced her drawing on anything she could get her hands on.
After several years of work - and prompting and encouragement from friends and fellow artists - Scott had her first show in 2005 at the FRC Gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson. She sold 16 of her 31 pieces, which feature Jamaican folklore and history.
"Since I had my first gallery show, there's only been great success," Scott said. "My decision to paint history and folk art has only garnered more interest in my work. The storytelling side has launched my career much further, involving me in lectures about my work," she added.
Scott is a member of the Rivertowns Arts Council, and one of her pieces appears in the "Images of America" book created by the Hastings Historical Society. She has been a judge for the local NAACP's youth competition - the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, or ACT-SO - for the past three years.
Scott's Black History Month show, "Colors Of The Rainbow," opens Friday and runs through Feb. 28 at Ossining Library Gallery. She will al a featured lecturer at Edgemont School in Scarsdale on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Rivertowns and receive free news updates.