SCOTT CARRUTHERS

February 9, 1961 -  June 21, 2022

Passed away at home on Tuesday June 21 2022 at the age of 61, after living with cancer for four years. Predeceased by his loving parents, Annie and Thomas Carruthers. Beloved husband and creative partner of Tanya Read. Cherished brother of Lee (Charles), Maureen, and Anne; hilarious uncle to Lily, Charlie, and Laurel. Dear son-in-law of Dennis and Hilma Read and brother-in-law of Michelle Read. Scott was predeceased by his aunt Isla and uncles Jack and Brian. He is survived by his aunts, Patricia and Margaret, and cousins in Canada (Murray, Stephanie, David). In the U.K., he is survived by his Uncle Ian and cousins Kevin, Russell, Amanda, Mary, Sandy, Anne, Rose, Lorraine, Jacqueline, and Patricia. Scott will be greatly missed by his wonderful friends in the GTA and the broader art community.

Scott was an intense and prolific artist whose work has been exhibited in Canadian and international galleries. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1994; while living in Italy as part of OCAD’s Florence Program, he fell in love with his partner Tanya. Spanning three decades, Scott and Tanya’s relationship has been richly collaborative. They co-founded and exhibited work with the Impure Collective in Toronto (1994 -1998), and also developed an alternative exhibition space for artists called Fly Gallery (1999 – 2011), which enlivened Queen West’s cultural scene for twelve years.

Scott’s long-form graphic novel, The Noiseless Din, was published in 2020 and received a Doug Wright Award for best experimental work the following year. Other significant projects include The Desecration (2020), co-authored with Sally McKay, and Excuses (2019), a collaborative comic produced by Fly Gallery Projects. His most recent collection of drawings, The Empty Channel, will appear as a future publication. In the rare moments he wasn’t drawing, Scott played drums in the band Ethel and The Mermen with partner Tanya and dear friend Danny Bowden.

Scott’s fierce commitment to art drew on his abundant sense of humour, boundless energy, and enormous appetite for living. He will be remembered for the ways he made us all laugh, almost continuously, and for his own raucous laughter, too. A private memorial will be held to honour Scott’s life. The family would like to thank the health care professionals at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care. Donations are welcomed to Wellspring Cancer Support Foundation and the Temmy Latner Centre.