Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Taylor.
Zachary, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Logansport, Indiana. Studied art at Ball State University in Muncie, IN for three years, transferred to the School of The Art Institute of Chicago where I received my BFA in 2000. For the next eight years, I lived and worked in Chicago, found representation for my artwork and regularly exhibited. I’ve lived and worked in Los Angeles since 2008, with the exception of a two-year MFA program at Jacksonville University in Florida from 2013 to 2015. I received a Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Art in 2015. I returned to Los Angeles in 2015 to continue my studio practice and seek further exhibition opportunities. The daily practice continues, I currently work from my home studio in Los Feliz and a secondary studio location in downtown L.A.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My artwork is multi-disciplinary, I usually have 3 or 4 bodies of work happening simultaneously. The bodies of work are visually quite different. A number of technical processes are deployed throughout the work, allowing for stylistic differences and variations in medium. Process exploration and has always been a prime focus, I allow the materials, concepts, and techniques to evolve and inform the larger body as a whole. The conceptual themes within the artwork generally reflect my current experience with life, work, and cultural influences. That being said, the work also tends to feel nostalgic, mysterious, and sometimes absurdist.
Currently, the work is divided into three disciplines of painting. Black and white oil paintings, sculptural abstract acrylic paintings and sculptural acrylic trompe l’oeil paintings and objects. The three current bodies of work are created contemporaneously, they differ in process, but inform each other as a greater body of work to be viewed separately or as a whole. I’m interested in how art can be viewed as a shared experience. How images and objects can be common, yet memorable to an audience. Simple observations and replications often have an emotional ingredient that people from numerous places and backgrounds can share.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Advice is difficult, creative pursuits are so specific to the individual. The hustle is real and art is important.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Currently, my work can be seen on my website, ztaylorart.com and my Instagram account, @zachtaylorart. There will be work on display soon in Los Angeles. I’m planning pop-up shows with a few other artists, and gallery exhibition possibilities for this year are currently in discussion. Studio visits can be scheduled for interested collectors or exhibitors. Work is available directly through my studio or through my representation, Linda Warren at Linda Warren Projects. (Instagram: @lindawarrenprojects Website: lindawarrenprojects.com)
Contact Info:
- Website: ztaylorart.com
- Instagram: @zachtaylorart
Image Credit:
Photos by Zachary Taylor
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