Scott GREEN

Abstract artist and self-proclaimed ‘amateur’ photographer Scott Green is a British expatriate now calling the coastal surrounds of Port Macquarie home. His works are inspired by his daily walks taking in the beautiful surrounds of the Port Macquarie landscape.

Hi Scott. Thanks so much for speaking with FOCUS. Tell us a little about yourself. Thanks for the great opportunity to talk to you and display my work to your readers. I'm Scott Green and I'm originally from Kent in the UK. I came to Australia on my own about 7 years ago, back to the backpacker mecca of Manly to relive those carefree times I had experienced 6 years prior. It soon became apparent to me that I wanted to call Australia home and set out on a path to make that happen. I ended up studying business in Sydney full-time at the age of 32 for the next 4 years. After the studies had finished, an opportunity came up for me and my partner, Elle, to move to beautiful Port Macquarie in order to pursue what had now become both of our dreams... to be true blue Aussies.

When did you first develop a love of the art form of photography?

I discovered my love for photography while traveling through Australia and Asia at the age of 25. I returned home with about 30,000 photos on a hard drive, but quickly discovered that quality is more important than quantity. I soon joined a local photography club and completed a year-long online course on photography, which gave me a good foundation to work from. I then did a lot of studio work for various companies, including product shoots, fashion, and even fetish photography, but don’t tell anyone. However, my real passion has always been for natural light and its environment. It wasn't long before I left the studio and all of its equipment behind and adopted an "all of the idea and none of the gear" approach to my work.

Who or what inspires you creatively?

Inspiration for me comes in many forms, depending on the medium. When it comes to photography, I am drawn to light and how it interacts with the world around us and Port Macquarie is a great place to observe this. You can either manipulate light to achieve your desired image or wait for it to provide the perfect moment of inspiration. I love discovering those moments when I'm out walking and observing its interactions with the world - be it with man-made structures, nature, people, or even a simple log in the sand. There are moments to be found everywhere.

As for painting, I find inspiration in the methods used by Max Ernst and Jackson Pollock. I use a form of automatic art, which involves painting without conscious thought, bypassing the conscious mind and allowing the hand to paint on more of a subconscious level. It’s a bit like when you’ve been driving your car and you can’t quite remember the last 5 minutes of your journey. However, it’s not easy, thoughts do inevitably creep in and play a part in the final piece.

My latest creative outlet is illustration and product design. Port Macquarie and its beautiful beaches have been my inspiration for my illustrations and product range that I will soon be launching.

I have been wanting to inject my ideas into products for a long time, creating great stuff for people to enjoy - something that makes them smile, feel great, and want to talk about with friends and family. I'm excited to have the opportunity to create creatively inspired products, rather than just off-the-shelf everyday options. The day is fast approaching when I get to show off to the local community what I have been up to. Your photography style appears effortless; capturing the natural in every image with a propensity for natural landscapes and wildlife. Tell us a little about how you approach your subject matter.

Sure, before even picking up the camera, I visualise the picture that I want to take and frame it in my mind. Composition is vital. A simple trick is to follow the old master painters and divide the scene into thirds. Observe the foreground and background, find the lines, and decide where you want your focus to be. Pay attention to how the light interacts with the scene; it's everything, and that is 90% of the work done before even picking up a camera. The last 10% is checking the exposure and pressing the button at the right time. Simple, right? With enough practice, you'll be able to do all this in under five seconds without too much thought. These pictures were taken with a three-year-old phone! In other words, get the fundamentals down, train your eye, and it won't matter how much your gear costs; you'll be able to capture great pictures. Continued over...

Since moving to Port Macquarie, I have been on the wild ride of solo-preneurship (not for the faint-hearted) and burned through all my savings in order to focus all my whacky creative ideas into the form of a business, Dolphin & Dog. I created Dolphin & Dog to be a pet/lifestyle brand that focuses on caring for the oceans and the land. Dolphin & Dog is an eco-friendly brand that offers unique and high-quality products, reflecting my perfectionist approach. I design everything myself and source the best materials and people to produce them. While it may take some time to bring my products to market, the end result is worth it, and I'm confident you'll appreciate the thought and hard work that goes into each item.

I built a hard rule into the brand, and that was that it had to be completely plastic-free when it comes to packaging. The plastic pollution issue the world is facing at the moment is something close to my heart, and I didn't want to be adding to that with my own singleuse plastics. I have designed all packaging to be non-plastic and look to make all future products with this ethos in mind. But that wasn't enough just to be neutral, so I have teamed up with Landcare Australia and 15Trees. Every sale made on the site goes towards planting trees in Australia, allowing Dolphin & Dog to move towards being a carbon-positive brand.

Dolphin & Dog is an eco-friendly brand that offers unique and high-quality products, reflecting my perfectionist approach.

The next step is to find an ocean charity that the brand can team up with and start making a difference in the problem we face with plastic pollution. This is the real driver of the business and not just a guy looking for a better source of income, but knowing that I might actually be able to make a difference in the world, if I work hard enough of course. So the more that Dolphin & Dog succeeds, the more help I promise to the oceans and the environment we all live in. Creating the brand allows me to roll all my loves into one and enables me to express my creativity not only in the form of a photograph or a painting but now as products that everyone can have a chance of owning that are unique to Dolphin & Dog. I have spent the last year or more designing a range of products and illustrated packaging from scratch while teaching myself every aspect of owning and running a business by myself. It hasn't been an easy feat, and I am now on a first-name basis with the guy at my local bottle shop!

What’s on the horizon for you for the year ahead?

Hopefully, it will be a big year ahead with the launch of Dolphin & Dog, which will happen in the very near future. So keep your eyes peeled, everyone! I will be introducing my Soul Surfer range first, which has been a big secret until now. It's EXCLUSIVE! The range consists of wearables for your dogs and children, including dog coats and hoodies for all sizes of dogs, from Pomeranian to Great Dane, as well as surf ponchos for babies and children. I will be putting on a market each week, and I'm super excited to get out and about, talking to all the locals and seeing everyone's reactions, whether good or bad! There are several more products planned, and two more ranges to launch, SHORELINE and BEACHBUM, by year-end. Pre-orders are available on the website. The photography and painting will continue, of course, as that’s my inspiration and happy place, allowing me to escape from the currently required ‘business me’ for a short space of time and providing me with my next idea.

What have been some of your highlights of your work looking back?

It has to be a time when I was doing fruit picking out at Stanthorpe here in Australia in order to get the 88 days farm work required for the visa. I was two and a half days into picking apples when I thought, “You must be joking if you think I'm doing this for another 85 days.” I quit right on the spot in the middle of the day, leaving all my mates to carry on, and walked home eating a few apples.

On the way back I bumped into a lovely old lady from Yugoslavia, and long story short, she commissioned me to paint a mural at the village hall she owned. I was paid well, got my 88 days, and ate chicken schnitzel every day. Meanwhile, my mates got trench foot and couldn't stand the sight of another apple. I learned a few things about myself over that time, such as trusting my gut, taking risks, and not being fearful of the outcome. This instilled future confidence to pursue something creative. I met up with her last year, 11 years on, for a cup of tea and some apple strudel. Away from the camera where would we find you spending your down time?

You can find me on the coastal walk from time to time, where I've unintentionally made a bit of a pastime out of mistakenly stepping on snakes. Alternatively, I might be down at Lighthouse Beach, breathing in while attempting a sun tan. And of course, I'll be hanging around at the markets - check out my website, www.dolphinanddog. com.au, for a schedule of which ones I'll be at and when. I plan to do a few local markets each month, so you should be able to find me there. If not, I'm happy to offer free delivery to anyone in Port, personally delivered by yours truly. I also have a blog and newsletter that I enjoy writing, featuring articles on a range of topics, including Port Macquarie, entrepreneurship, the environment, photography, art and design, dogs, and more. Be sure to sign up for updates and stay in the loop. The Soul Surfer range is now available to pre-order. dolphinanddog.com.au dolphin_and_dog

For people wanting to find out more about your work, how can they best connect with you?

Please contact me anytime with any questions and I’ll be happy to help.

_whoscottgreen_ scott@dolphinanddog.com

DolphinanddogFB i David. Tell us a little about what you hope to bring to Capone’s continued success in 2023? I have over twenty years experience running marketing and advertising type business and hope to utilise these skills to help bring Bar Capone to life. Starting out a young entrepreneur I have owned and operated three varying successful companies. For me I have always enjoyed helping other business succeed. This is a new interest and challenge, one that I have been looking at for a while. To couple these skills with Jayden, a seasoned industry expert is comforting. Jayden, as the new bar manager, tell us a little about your experience in the industry? After only six months in the hospitality industry I was poached to open a Japanese restaurant as the venue and bar manager. It was a steep learning curve but taught me a lot about managing people and running a business. From there I was asked to work at one of the best cocktail bars on the Mid North Coast where I spent years gaining and harnessing expert knowledge about mixology and cocktails. This next chapter will put my skills to the ultimate test but I can guarantee to have the best cocktails on the Mid North Coast.

Bar Capone has been in full swing since opening its doors in 2022. Now, the popular establishment welcomes new bar manager Jayden Payne and new managing director David Sherwell to the team.

Since launching in 2022 the bar has never been so popular with locals and visitors flocking to Capone’s for that ‘wow’ factor. What exciting initiatives are in-store for the season ahead? We have recently launched daily events and extended the opening hours from 3pm. In addition to this, we are planning a seasonal event calendar to include themed evenings, cocktail lessons and tastings, along with offering the venue for functions that cater to group bookings. We would also like to establish mutually beneficial strategic partnerships with local businesses to help promote the area and associated nightlife.

For people wanting to connect online and find out more about Bar Capone, how can they best get in touch?

Follow along via: e/ barcaponespmq@gmail.com fb/ Caponesbarportmacqaurie ig/ Capones.bar w/ barcapone.vip