|
|
Foreword by Ian Courcoux
and Frank Taylor |
 |
| When he begins a painting Frank Taylor is unaware of its final form. The less he knows where the process will lead, the more interesting it becomes. He is continually experimenting with media, supports and methods of applying colour. When he is surprised by the outcome, when he has produced something that is new for him -- that, to Frank, is success. Those who are familiar with Frank's work will know that he is a frequent traveller and there is a clear parallel between his philosophy on painting and his continual exploration of the world -- the quest for new experiences, adventures, encounters, surprises. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
click on thumbnails for larger image and details
|
|
Taylor feels that his paintings should look 'natural', as if they should exist, and their execution should appear fluent. Although in truth this is rarely the case and each painting is the result of a great deal of struggle and effort, it should appear to have been produced with ease. In fact, numerous attempts are abandoned, although some unsuccessful images appear as ghosts beneath a new painting which Frank has judged to 'work'. Although purely representational drawings and paintings by other artists continue to interest him, the representational aspects of his own work have seemed increasingly less important to him. In the past he has recorded people, places and things with painstaking accuracy but now he likes to invent as he draws. He prefers the idea of a subjective rather than an objective realism -- this would seem more 'true to life'. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
click on thumbnails for larger image and details
|
|
Frank's most recent travels were to Costa Rica and this exhibition is divided clearly into two parts. There is a series of figurative paintings, mainly the smaller works, which depict the life and topography of this beautiful country. And then there are the abstract works -- larger images which may begin with oblique references to landscape or experiences or events but which soon take on a life of their own. Both areas of the work have a vibrancy about them which I find uplifting. Frank Taylor is not an artist to stand still and I just love the humour and dynamism of what I believe is a great show. Ian Courcoux |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
click on thumbnails for larger image and details
|
|
"Most of the Costa Rican mountains are covered with rain and cloud forest, whilst large areas of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts remain as jungle. The Tortuguero jungle is alive with parrots, herons, crocodiles, alligators, lizards, iguanas, turtles, snakes, frogs and monkeys. The Central Valley of Costa Rica is a high plateau roughly forty miles by fifteen, surrounded by mountain ranges. Many of the mountains are volcanic -- there are more than a hundred volcanoes in Costa Rica, seven of which are currently active. The large towns of the Central Valley -- Cartago, San José, Heredia, etc -- were established by the Spanish, and like Spanish towns, and indeed most towns in the Americas, they are laid out on a grid of Calles and Avenidas interspersed with public parks and squares". |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
"The abstract paintings may begin with oblique references
to landscape or experiences or events or even sounds (mountains, volcanoes,
a walk in the jungle, a trip on a boat, birdsong), but once a few shapes
have been applied the painting begins its own gestation. Ultimately the
painting is of and about itself. It may have come into existence because
I was thinking about a time or place, but the painting is not a record
or a memory. The painting has a life of its own and is to do with colours
and their relationships, shape, texture, balance and implied space. Like
many painters, I see relationships between music and painting. In the
past I have tried to 'interpret' music -- African, Indian and Cuban --
into line, shape, colour and implied movement. Similar paintings have
been prompted by related sounds and events such as carnivals and parades.
An abstract language has emerged which holds the promise of further exploration,
improvisation and invention".
Frank Taylor |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
click on thumbnails for larger image and details
|
|
Nomads House High Street Stockbridge Hampshire SO20 6HE United Kingdom Tel 01264 810717 Fax 01264 810481 e-mail: courcoux@courcoux.co.uk http://www.courcoux.co.uk ©Frank Taylor 2003. All Rights Reserved
|