Good art naut extinct

by Courtney H. Naliboff

Paintings of astronauts and dinosaurs delighted a small audience at an art opening hosted by Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT) July 8.

Scott Listfield, who majored in studio art at Dartmouth College, said he’s painted astronauts and dinosaurs almost exclusively since watching “2001: A Space Odyssey” on TV in 1999.

His paintings often juxtapose the figure of an astronaut, sometimes accompanied by a dinosaur, with familiar corporate logos or celebrities.

“It’s sort of like being a scientist or anthropologist and walking around current- day America,” said Listfield, who works primarily with oil on canvas.

Listfield said he has traveled often, including time spent in London, Italy and Australia, but his paintings describe more the experience of returning home.

“I feel like these paintings are the feeling you get when you come back to America,” said Listfield. “I found the supermarket to be an insanely strange place.”

The artist’s astronaut and dinosaur explore vistas like Target, Times Square and a subway station. Portraits of Busta Rhymes, Cadillac Escalades, and Jeff Koons’ balloon dog sculpture make cameo appearances in the exhibit, titled “Astronaut.”

Listfield said that, in addition to artist Phillip Gaston, he derives influence from sources such as MTV, NASA and the BBC series “Walking with Dinosaurs.”

Listfield brought Dinosaur, a plastic Tyrannosaurus Rex, to the show. Dinosaur and Listfield are inseparable, he said.

Featured on Listfield’s Web site, www.astronautdinosaur.com, are photographs of Dinosaur with various landmarks, some of which are featured in Listfield’s paintings, and at weddings and college reunions.

Robin and Bob Listfield, Listfield’s parents, said their son didn’t get his artistic proclivities from either parent. “We are so far from artistic,” said Robin Listfield. “Between the two of us we couldn’t come up with a stick figure.” Listfield’s brother Jeffrey, also a Somerville resident, attended the show as well.

Listfield’s parents said he was always doodling as a child and created a character, “Lloyd,” who recurred in his artwork much the same way the astronaut and dinosaur do now.

Listfield has shown his work at Diesel Café in Davis Square and the Weston Public Library, where his mother works. He also participated in a group show at SCAT.

Listfield said getting a show at SCAT was shockingly easy. “I e-mailed and said, ‘Hey, I’m an artist, I live in Somerville and work across the street as a graphic designer.”

He sent samples of his work to the SCAT show coordinators, he said, who agreed to show it.

Lisa Smith, SCAT’s membership and arts coordinator, said SCAT hosts monthly exhibits. “We’re booked for the year,” she said. “We try to profile local artists: sometimes one person, sometimes a group show.”

Artists receive exposure through an interview and profile that airs on
SCAT during the month of the artist’s exhibit, she said. SCAT will host a group show in August.