O'NEIL SCOTT

O’NEIL SCOTT is a Philadelphia-based artist, born in Spanish Town, Jamaica whose practice is rooted in portraiture. Influenced early by his grandfather and uncle, both of whom pursued creative paths. Scott began drawing as a child, filling notebooks with characters both imagined and observed. Scott’s work is inspired by the Old Masters and contemporary realists alike. His transition from acrylic to oil paint marked a pivotal moment in his practice, allowing for greater depth, pliability, and exploration of complex narratives. Through his portraits, he engages with themes such as social justice, climate change, and subjects that speak to both personal truth and collective urgency. In 2025, Scott debuted his first solo museum large scale works exhibition at the Zillman Art Museum (University of Maine) in Bangor, Maine, a milestone that showcased the breadth of his evolving work and his commitment to storytelling through a Black diasporic lens. At the core of his paintings is a desire to invoke mindfulness, inspire contemplation, and foster deeper understanding of the human condition. Scott’s work has been featured at several prominent art fairs in the US and exhibited with notable galleries, and his paintings are part of esteemed corporate collections as well as private collections both in the U.S. and internationally.

Scott’s artistic origin story is rooted in his birthplace of Spanish Town, Jamaica. His first rendezvous with art came not in a museum, but in the familiar confines of his home, watching his uncles and his grandfather, a local architect, sketch and draw. “It runs within my family,” he explains. He discovered early on that drawing and sketching helped him listen, process information, and achieve better grades. “It’s this interesting thing… I have a better time of remembering or understanding what’s going on around me,” he says. This fusion of art, memory, and cognition became the bedrock of his future work. His path to a professional art career was anything but linear. He would move between Jamaica and the U.S. throughout his childhood, eventually settling in Camden, New Jersey, facing Philadelphia on the other side of the Delaware River. The talented athlete and artist took a football scholarship at Syracuse University, attracted by coaches who seemed as interested in seeing his art portfolio as discussing plays. Yet, the rigid schedules of Division I football and demanding studio classes proved incompatible. Faced with a choice, the young Scott, dreaming of the NFL, “dropped my art classes and took up business and IT instead.”

O'NEIL SCOTT

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