Tallahassee 25

Standing Midstream by Dan W. Taylor
5 x7 inch acrylic on canvas

Standing midstream by Dan W. Taylor
Preliminary sketch

This painting was created as a donation for a benefit organized by Tallahassee 25, which is a fully volunteer driven non-profit organization that works with at-risk youth in the Tallahassee, Florida area. The donated works are used to create a Mystery Masterpiece Wall of 5 x 7 inch creations that will be exhibited at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science on March 14. The pieces will be sold for a flat fee with all proceeds going towards their kid's events.

With this small painting, I wanted to reference classic landscape composition but in a non classic way. Through simplification of form and color I want to bring a more child-like quality to the work. That is not to say that it is not a serious work, as great care has been taken to adhere to rules of composition and scale but I wanted this piece to be fun, also. One of the ways that this is achieved is through the base color. I used a bright purple metallic base coat which was allowed to peak through as outlines of the various landscape elements. This creates a changing effect as the light reflects off of the metallic when viewed from differing angles.

This was a fun project to work on and I'll be sure to post the call for entry for future shows for anyone that may want to participate.

Waiting for Spring

Waiting for Spring - Germantown Ohio

I continue to add new works to my sale site, http://taylorstudio.ecrater.com such as this piece.

This is part of a series of photographs of local benches in the winter snow. One happened to catch my eye as I was taking a winter walk and I was taken by the loneliness that it conveyed. This series brings not only that sense of desolation but also a bit of comfort supplied by their permanence and knowing that they will be there waiting at the first warm day of spring.

Shop for art!

Ok, so folks have been asking, "How can I buy some of the wonderful artwork displayed here when I live a long ways off or can't make it to the local shows?". Well here's how! I recently opened an internet gallery and shop to do just that! You can browse the various categories, make your choices and even pay online using Paypal or all major credit cards. You can find the link to this magical store on the top of the column just to the left of this post! How exciting! Be sure to tell all of your friends as original art makes an excellent gift to give AND receive. Plus, historically, artwork has performed better than the stock market as an investment! So in this time of economic uncertainty, can you afford to NOT by artwork? I didn't think so.

The List

The List

16 x 20 inches
acrylic on canvas

This painting was finished on November 11, 2008 to be included in an upcoming show. I will be the featured artist for the month of December at Barnes and Nobles Booksellers on Miamisburg- Centerville Rd. (the Dayton Mall location). I wanted to do a traditional Santa portrait based on my childhood memories. My version is less 'jolly old elf' and more grandfatherly in nature. I have several other Santa paintings to include in this show as well as winter landscape paintings and photographs.

squash bouquet

Squash Bouquet
12 x 15 silverprint b/w photograph

This is part of a series of black and white photos that I did with an autumn theme. I wanted to do something seasonal yet with a twist. So I took the usual floral and still life and combined them using the popular fall vegetables such as butternut squash, zucchini and a small pumpkin (and a cucumber which found it's way in somehow). This photo was taken on 100 iso Kodak T Max film with a Nikon N 65 camera. Developed in Dektol and printed on Ilford fibre paper.

Like Soldiers in the Sun

Like Soldiers in the Sun
Pastel on Museum Board
15 x 20 inches

This piece is based on a photograph I took in the Oregon District of Dayton Ohio on a sunny late afternoon. I was drawn by the way the boxes were in such a perfect line and standing motionless in the bright light. the legs seemed to give them a living quality which made it feel as though they should be walking to the shadier side of the building for some relief from the heat. The photograph reminded me of the work of Edward Hopper, so I wanted to replicate some of the aspects of his paintings in my drawing. I feel that this is accomplished by the flatness of the color planes and the stark sense of lights and darks.