Taylor Smith’s work is a calculated, contemporary interpretation of abstract expressionism blended with elements of traditional still life. Mathematics, organic chemistry, mechanics and pop culture often play a role in her path from conception to completion. Much of Taylor’s recent work explores the relationship between the random chaos of nature and the ordered world of line, mechanics, mathematical detail and geometry to arrive at a comfortable yin and yang balance.
In simple terms, Taylor seeks to express with oil and acrylic paint as well as untraditional media such as wine and coffee stain what she has experienced in the world and share it with others. Many of Taylor’s works are inspired by specific moments and emotions experienced in the far flung places on this earth.
During her years of study and work in Germany, Taylor witnessed first hand the destruction still painfully visible from the war on the scarred landscape of German cities and towns. Painting in Berlin during the waning years of the Wall, which divided the city, allowed Taylor to consider the redemptive qualities of art in a divided and almost post-apocalyptic environment. In the years since she has forcefully crushed paint and materials into a weathered and worn landscape on canvas as a backdrop to something more ordered on the final surface. Struggling through the early stages of each canvas as a reference to the beauty that may reside in destruction, Taylor seeks to bring a balance of order and line to the inherent chaos. “I feel some of my best work exemplifies this beautiful destruction,” Taylor explained. Typically, an abstract marriage of color on the deep surface gives way to geometric patterns and vague or enigmatic figurative elements that are used to subdue and harmonize the disarray that lies within each painting.
“I seek to grow my body of work with each new painting. I seek to continue my development and learning so that I may better communicate my own artistic path and progress through my paintings. Man-made objects rarely grow like those found in nature. By allowing myself and my body of work to grow and to develop in a progressive and organic way, I feel my art will become more natural and meaningful; more authentic.”
In 2007, Taylor was chosen from the world art community to represent the United States at the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy. Also known as the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea, this event is by invitation only. Selection for the Biennale is made by an international jury comprised of numerous professionals from the art world, including members from the National Academy of Art (India), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Brazil), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA).
Taylor’s work has been featured by various galleries in the United States and Europe. Her work is also included in diverse private collections in Germany, Italy, Spain and throughout North America.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
- Peter Mondavi/Charles Krug Winery Collection – St. Helena, CA
- The Estridge Companies – Indianapolis, IN
- Fantinato Fondazione – Venice, Italy
- Mercer Belanger, LLP – Indianapolis, IN
- Midtown Artery Collection – Greenville, SC
- Anton Klinger Collection – Nuernberg, Germany
- Starbucks Corporation
EDUCATION:
- AdBK [Akademie der Bildenden Künste] – Nürnberg, Germany 1988
- Indiana University – Bloomington, IN 1985
Please contact Gallery MAR for larger works and custom commissions.
ABOUT THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION SERIES
Bringing the still life paintings of the Old Masters firmly into the 21st century, Taylor Smith has carefully constructed her own abstract version of the traditional Dutch still life. Chemical detail adds a layer of composition and nods to the possible meaning and relationship between certain subjects. The smudged charcoal and chemical construction represent shadow and candle smoke while the wine stains and bottle rings represent the bottle of wine. These assemblages may seem radically different from the familiar still life, but both draw their inspiration from Old Master subjects, and both are visual deceptions that reveal themselves only if the viewer takes the time to stop and look.
Additionally, many paintings in Smith’s “Chemical Still Life” series are influenced by her epicurean appreciation of wine. During the 1980s when Taylor was living and painting in Europe, she developed a life-long love of wine culture. Having spent time in the wine growing regions of France, Germany and Italy, she began to blend wine and art into what is now a diverse portfolio of paintings. In 1997, while sharing a very special bottle of wine with the wine critic Robert Parker, Jr., Taylor noticed the tablecloth had become laced with rings of varying shades of claret from the many wine glasses. From this casual observation and also a recent accident where a bottle of wine was spilled on her canvas, Taylor was inspired to develop a series of paintings in which she examines and mixes various types of wine with her paint to form an abstract homage to wine. In some works, Taylor additionally sketches the chemical symbols for the actual fermentation process of wine in charcoal and ink. Further symbolic elements in these works are intended to develop a dialogue between the science of wine making and the human body. In many of her works, one can sense that a wine tasting has just taken place with vast tracks of concentric rings left by wine glasses placed and removed from a time-worn tablecloth by individuals unknown but common to all of us.
