The work of Kara Taylor explores the beauty of complexity, in a world whose state is in perpetual flux. Her individual quest as an artist is to act as a witness to the transient nature of both literal and metaphorical, as a witness to the endless repetition of holding on and letting go.

Kara translates these shifts through various visual languages, with the poetic sensibility of a symbolist. Her psychologically allusive work comprises oil paint, photomontage, encaustic, fabric and assemblage, with her most recent paintings being a combination of these. She draws on the physical traits of her materials as well as their visual/historical contexts to echo the philosophies of her subject matter. Photography is both fact and fiction, for example, and fabric patterns bear the weight of cultural histories. Whether depicting figures merging with dense landscapes, or vast and lonely estuaries, her mediums – often thickly layered – are always evolving in response to changing environments.

Rooted deeply in her sense of the world, a childhood spent on the small island of Martha’s Vineyard means Kara’s awareness of landscape and the elements is inexorable. Now a self-professed restless soul, Kara’s diverse processes are inspired by her surroundings and the resulting evolution in patterns of thought. After time spent visiting different corners of the world, in 2016 Kara arrived in South Africa (where she now spends half the year) – a place where beauty and tragedy are intertwined.

Wherever she is, Kara uses her work to acknowledge that a landscape, whether real or painted, is framed through the vicissitudes of human narrative and history, and that human experience is likewise lived in relation to this fragile, changing realm. As a result, her work is a tessellation of fragments forming a richly quilted tapestry both visually and conceptually. In sharing her intricate yet expansive pieces, Kara’s impetus is to draw attention to the subjective state of experience. She reminds us of the power growth of shifting perspectives and the inevitability of change. For Kara, this is meaningful because everything is connected. With the world increasingly in a period of turmoil, these contemplative works provide a space of spiritual solace, where we can both wander and wonder.

Kara Taylor was born and raised on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where she now runs the Kara Taylor Gallery, featuring her own work since the year 2000. She graduated in 1997 with a BFA from Maine College of Art. For the last 20 years she has focused mainly on self representation, with a few international solo exhibition and various group shows throughout New England and NYC. She now spends 6 months of the year painting in her studio in Cape Town ,South Africa, were she recently had a solo exhibit in 2018.