Guys!

Shortly Before The End opens this Friday, and I am awash in preparations. There are a total of 22 acrylic paintings, plus ten drawings extracted from my sketchbook and sold as prints. Holy crap, this is exciting!

Naturally there a facebook event which outlines the details. RSVP is not necessary for entry but you know what it makes me feel good, so say yes! to Shortly Before The End. See you there!

As the date of the show draws closer, the oft dreadful Norwegian weather has given way to that rare beast known as the beautiful day. An unfortunate side effect of this is a dwindling work ethic but I push on, keeping my fingers crossed that these blue skies, sunshine, and warm temperatures stick around long enough for me to enjoy it for a bit after this is all said and done. I’ve posted some studio photos on my flickr account, and I’ll be adding to the photo set with more images and details regarding specific works over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Hello pals. After a struggle I’ve finally prepared some information regarding my first solo exhibition on the rapidly approaching date of 11 June. No one labors so counterproductively over the fine details quite like I do.

Shortly Before The End marks the culmination of a painstaking and experimental creative process via heretofore unexplored avenues. Elwin Bradshaw and ORK/Pastillen were vital in providing me with an experimental platform to explore and expand the breadth of my capabilities in a gallery setting, with limited resources and very limited time. What resulted was a frustratingly rhapsodic altercation and subsequent resolution between myself and my internal processes.

The opening reception will be Friday, June 11 from 18.00 at Galleri Pastillen (Freia Sjokoladefabrikk,) Malmøgata 2, Oslo. Drinks will be served, music will be heard, fine art will be appreciated. In addition, the lovely ladies from No Dial Tone will be providing the musical backdrop for the evening. The show will be up from June 11 to July 9, and the gallery will be open on weekends for casual viewing. I hope to see you all there!

Hi, all. I’ve been in the studio up to my neck in acrylics for the past few weeks, getting ready for a huge solo exhibition June 11. More details to come as the date approaches, but meanwhile I am plugging away at paintings of a personally unprecedented size and scale. Things should get interesting.

I am quite routinely posting shots of the “erm… it’s not, like, done yet” variety on my Twitter account, which due to greater ease of access is, at current, far more frequently updated than this blog. So don’t be afraid of that “follow” button!

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to pulling this off. See you all again soon!

> One. Ballpoint pen on paper, 17×17 cm @ 300 dpi.

> Two. Ballpoint pen on paper, 17×17 cm @ 300 dpi.

> Watercolor and water buffaloes. ballpoint pen, watercolor in moleskine, 2010

>Zebras, gazelles. ballpoint pen in moleskine, 2010.

> Not dreadlocks, plus a bike. ballpoint pen in moleskine, 2010

I spent a glorious weekend dirtying my hands in the wood shop at ORK, building the frames for my next painting project. I owe a debt of gratitude to Elwin Bradshaw for making this possible, and for taking the time to cut all that damn timber. We’ve got about 30 frames total and an extraordinarily ambitious deadline which, if survived, should make for an at least interesting exhibition come spring.

In other news, I was interviewed for three-page spread in the March issue of BLIKK. If you’re in Norway you can check out the interview plus a flagrant misrepresentation of the frequency with which I draw female breasts.

]]> http://taylor-white.com/2010/03/02/1160/feed 0 http://taylor-white.com/2010/02/24/1135 http://taylor-white.com/2010/02/24/1135#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:36:16 +0000 taylurk http://taylor-white.com/?p=1135 In an attempt to bridge the cognitive gap between traditional painting and photoshop manipulation, I’ve been experimenting with Corel Painter 11. I hadn’t done much with it since the days when I was in school, but I am finding the feel of traditional media in a digital space to be quite riveting. I’ve been doing many of my recent projects using the 30 day trial software in an effort to convince my employer to buy it, but so far I haven’t gotten much of a response.

> Self. Corel Painter 11 and Adobe Photoshop CS4, 20 x 30 cm @300 dpi, 2010

I spent the better part of last month working, destroying paintings, pondering the complexities of human existence. All of this was in an effort to determine how my “identity” reflects in my work, why I do what I do, and why the things that inspire me, inspire me. When I was done I realized that, at the very core, what I like to do is draw. I feel this perverse obligation to identify as an “illustrator” based on the need for commercial recognition and financial security, but I don’t get the same thing out of it that I do with pen to paper, alone in the studio. At work I sit at a desk in front of a machine all day, and everything I do is a conversation between me and this piece of hardware. The end product may be technically good, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. The endgame is someone else’s endgame.

So I draw that line in the sand. I’m always making something, but at work I do the things I have to do to keep others happy. At home, I do my own thing. It’s a commitment, but worthwhile, and advantageous to be able to recognize that divide early on: that you can do commercial work, and you can also leave the time and space for yourself to be an artist in the truest sense.

For me, every drawing I make is a question. Hanging them, sharing them with others, is an attempt at finding some answers. I may never get those answers, but it doesn’t stop me from asking them. My hope is that maybe by the time I’m dead, I’ll have a better understanding of the world I’ve left behind, and others will have some insight into who I am based on the work I’ve done. That’s all anybody really wants: to be recognized for their relevance in the world.

> “No, I’m just an ordinary walrus. But I get that all the time.” ballpoint pen, 2010