Artwork copyright Scott Fife. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Scott Fife. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Blue Overalls, 1998

Scott Fife
(American, born 1949)

Location: Northwood Middle School, Renton

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Scott Fife's cardboard Blue Overalls sculpture implies the human figure and the iconic power of denim. Modeled after his father's old overalls, the artwork references the social history of agricultural labor in the American West. Fife notes, "This piece also conjures up the specific life of an individual working man. This article of clothing is made to describe the body, and provide an abstracted presence of a person's past." It is constructed out of painted and manipulated archival cardboard, and it is part of a series by Fife about clothing pieces.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Kent School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Scott Fife creates figurative sculptures and busts of historic and cultural icons. Known for his elaborate process and singular use of materials, Fife builds his sculptures using archival cardboard, screws, and glue. Fife earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Idaho in 1972 and a Bachelor of Art degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1976.