Artist Spotlight: Scott Levings
A machine is at work on an unseasonably warm evening in October. A screen printing press wheels around as the Boombachs perform a sunset gig on the outdoor patio of Audacity Brewhouse. The local brewery is celebrating their 2 year anniversary in Denton, the man carefully but deliberately transferring ink to a freshly ordered shirt is working his first gig with Nice Dudes Servicing Craft. His name is Scott Levings, a.k.a. Meatpaw, and Denton is his new home.
"You never really know what the future will bring, but my goal is to be able to completely submerge my life in art and support myself with the work I create," says Levings. Before moving to Denton work with his brother Bryan and Nickie Blair, Scott was working 3 jobs in San Marcos while screen printing out of his bedroom. It goes without saying that he'll participate in screen printing whether it's in the shop or at live events. But he's also a graphic designer with an illustration style that perfectly suits the blue-collar rock music vibe of Denton.
Levings's father saw his boy drawing at a very early age and introduced him to charcoal pencils and china markers. The love for creating art never faded, even during high school when friends were taking up different interests. "While a lot of my friends were skipping class and leaving the school to do whatever, I was skipping class and going to the art room and working on projects," says Levings. When he wasn't working on school projects, he was filling up a working sketchbook with drawings that were humorous, gruesome, bizarre, and surrealistic. "Growing up in my house was a big part of my love for humor because everyone is so hilarious."
The knack for gruesome and not-so-serious design is apparent in one of Levings's favorite creations called Dumpster Mutt. The illustration is based on his own dog named Lonesome, and depicts him licking his butthole in front of gooey lettering saying, "happy to live scrappy." It's for people like the artist himself, who might have a tendency to display inappropriate social behavior while being happy to be alive. That gooey style of drawing letters can be seen in the logo for his personal moniker, Meat Paw Studios. That's where he'll be displaying designs outside of the work created for Nice Dudes.
When he isn't drawing, there's a good chance his dog will be pulling him around on his skateboard. Please send pics if you see this happening. Denton is relatively flat compared to San Marcos, so wandering bike rides are more easily accomplished. Now that he's closer to his family, he spends time with his parents chatting over coffee and his mom's tasty spaghetti.
Images designed by Scott Levings
Header image design by Brittany Keeton