Taylor

STATEMENT

 For thirty years I have been seriously painting fulltime and it is still difficult to explain to anyone why.  I don’t do it for money.  I don’t do it for fame either.  I just paint.  I love the process of painting.  I love to capture the beauty and amazement of things I see for those who may not have noticed or for those who notice and want a tangible memory of their own.

 Realism is the painting style that has persisted through my experimental years, though the close focus view gives much of my work an abstract quality.  A degree in Interior Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro certainly has influenced the attention I give to details of composition in my paintings.

 Two main bodies of work run concurrently, floral and water. It is broken now and then by other subjects of interest.  The longest running theme involves floral subjects, focusing less on the flower itself and more on its integration with its surroundings. The use of backlight emphasizing the translucency of petals is intended to evoke a sensual image as does the random play of textures and color both in the garden and in the sunroom. Watercolor is the medium I use for the floral images because it can achieve a wide range of subtle to deep and intense color. The nuance of the media is a good match for the nuance of the image. I am exploring the intimacy of large paintings by using close focus views in a large, vertical format which become very intimate when used in small spaces.

 The water paintings are similar to the florals in their capture of fleeting moments. They primarily catch moving patterns of water as wind and current alter the images they reflect.  I’m drawn to the grace and playfulness and randomness of it all. A creek and lake at home have given me many images to work with but a special source of ideas are from the coastal waters I seek when traveling in the US or abroad.  Most of my coastal paintings could come from anywhere but some places insert their unmistakable presence on the image.  Venice for sure,  but other parts of Italy, the Greek Islands, Portugal and Spain and even some areas of New England are quite recognizable with the display of color and the quality of light.

  Recently, I have been working with oil on canvas and board for the water paintings around a theme of It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere using material gathered here and from my travels.  These highlight the warm light of late afternoon on the water.