KATE TAYLOR

ARTIST BIO

Kate Taylor is an award-winning abstract artist born in Cambridge, England, and now works out of her studio in Toronto, Ontario. Inspired by nature, Kate is committed to capturing the energy and joy you feel when present in nature, using heavy body acrylics to create dramatic texture, combined with dynamic colour.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western University where she was taught painting by the internationally-renowned artist, Paterson Ewen and is a member of the Copley Society of Art, Society of Canadian Artists and the Ontario Society of Art. Kate has gallery representation in Canada, the U.S. and England and participates in gallery exhibitions and in art fairs across Canada and the US.

Creative influences are Jean Paul Riopelle – the Montreal-based artist who captured raw energy in his large canvases, using multiple colours simultaneously on his palette knife, the Group of Seven, specifically Tom Thomson’s work using complementary colours in the underpainting, and glass artist Dale Chihuly for his approach to colour, exuberance and experimentation.

Kate is half of the collaborative installation team sister+sister, Vice President of the Society of Canadina Artists, Past Chair of the Artists Network, a NFP committed to supporting artists in their business practice; Co-Founder of Creative Adventures Events, designed for non-artists to explore their creativity; Past President of Kaleidoscope Marketing, specializing in financial services and technology; Past Chair of the Canadian Advertising Museum; Past President of the American Marketing Association and previously on the Executive of the North Toronto Group of Artists.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My art is a joyful interpretation of nature; specifically about capturing that feeling when you are deeply present in nature. Inspiration comes to me at my cottage in Northern Ontario with its evocative soundtrack of loons, lapping water, the smell of the earth and wind ruffling Maples and Pines; that’s really where I connect and feel most like myself. The very distinct feelings of grounded calm and dynamic movement that happens so beautifully in the natural world really resonates with me…positive and negative, energy and calm, push and pull of the Lake. I create with those seemingly opposing energies always in my mind’s eye.

I tend to be associated with vibrant, confident colour. This represents my desire to stand out but also to accept new challenges – pushing the boundaries of colour to convey dynamic energy without crossing the line to chaos. My internal palette is overflowing with jewel tones, setting up my palette with up to 45 colours – from soft yellows to vibrant pinks and deep purples – mixing my colour on the knife to create a single knife swipe filled with multiple colours.

I think and look deeply at its weight and placement in my work. I like to create a focal point that is off centre, inviting pieces to be experienced from different angles and orientation, creating space for personal responses. By limiting myself to just a palette knife, I aim to let the shapes and movement of each piece be very approachable.

I get so much energy and excitement from my work by always playing, planning and embodying the joy I feel when I create. I want viewers to continue to see new things in the work – seemingly simple but in reality, complex – for years to come. A painting that grows with them.”