Sallie Taylor
Transformation
Shell in Hand, 2017, 40" x 30", oil on canvas,
Crystal in Hand, 2017, 40" x 30", oil on canvas
As a professional teacher, I never had a lot of time to paint, so I often felt part of me was asleep. At some point, I saw Rousseau’s Sleeping Gypsy at MoMA and was captivated. I saw myself in that painting. Years later, I began to feel that I was ready to leave teaching. And at that time, I heard David Gray’s song, "Transformation" and was captivated. I heard myself in that song. So began the plan to transform from sleeping artist to waking artist. I knew it had to do with ideas (the egg), creativity (the brush), my soul (the shell) and my spirit (the crystal). All of the paintings in this series represent my journey of transformation.
Waking Artist, 2011-19, 50" x 40", oil on canvas
Brush in Hand, 2011-17, 40" x 30", oil on canvas
Sleeping Artist, 2002, 30" x 60", oil on canvas
