Paintings by James Taylor

April 29 - June 17, 2017

“James Taylor is a watercolorist whose work has a natural softness of subject matter and execution. His remarkable style and handling of the watercolor medium with no formal arts education gave viewers a fresh new view of his world in colorful detail.” (from the marketing materials of the 2006 exhibition at Hammonds House Museum)

James Taylor discussing his work... “I began painting in 1992 while recovering from a debilitating illness. During my convalescence, I began to see the humanity and spirit of the people I encountered, along with colors, smells, and the play of sunlight on things and scenes that were around me. Watercolor became a good medium for expression of this newfound awareness and I became especially partial to figurative subjects. I discovered a very strong character in people, which is revealed through their challenges, disappointments, and the rewards of holding things together through relative obscurity. It is this strength of spirit that I am compelled to express in my paintings. My goal is to involve the viewer in the insightfulness and humanity that art has to offer.”

James passed away in December of 2016. He was a Hambidge Fellow and long-time volunteer. We were honored to show a selection of his paintings, courtesy of the James Taylor Estate, and with the assistance of Ann Lindsey.