Taylor Made
Painter and collage artist Cathy Taylor will be the featured artist in May at the Main Street Gallery in Blowing Rock.
Some artists know that they are destined for a lifetime of
creativity from the first time they clutch a Crayola.
Others take a more circuitous route.
Artist Cathy Taylor tried her hand at a number of professions, including social work,
advertising and real estate, before she found her true passion: creating original works of art
inspired by the world around her.
Taylor is the featured artist for the month of May at
Blowing Rock’s Main Street Gallery. Her works include paintings, collages and handmade paper items,
such as notebooks.
Taylor began painting in 1990, concentrating on watercolor. In 2006, she
and her husband, Scott, moved to North Carolina from Pass-a-Grille, Fla.
Once established in
the North Carolina mountains, she became a member, and later president, of the High Country
Watermedia Society. She is also a member of Brush and Palette of Caldwell County and a member of the
Caldwell Arts Council.
As an artist exhibiting work at Main Street Gallery, Taylor is part
of cooperative of artists there.
“I have really grown and thrived in the co-op setting,” she
said. “Everyone works together to produce wonderfully creative work in a supportive and fun
environment.”
Her new exhibit features her work in watercolor, acrylic, collage and mixed
media. Currently, she is working with altered papers and inks to create textural Blue Ridge Mountain
scenes.
In addition to creating art, Taylor is an experienced instructor. She began teaching
on a local level at Sanibel Island, Fla., and now teaches occasional workshops at Cheap Joe’s Art
Stuff in Boone.
“Teaching workshops is one of my true passions,” she said. “I love seeing
students when they have an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Plus, I get to travel all over the United States, so it’s
like a working vacation.”
She has also published several articles for Cloth Paper Scissors
magazine, a national publication dedicated to mixed media arts.
Main Street Gallery is
located at 960 Main St. in Blowing Rock. The gallery is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is
staffed by the artists themselves.
For more information, call (828) 295-7836 or visit
http://www.mainstreetgallery.com.
