George Taylor RBSA

Essence of Places

I do not paint landscapes, but make images of places, that attempt to capture what for me is at least in part the essence or "soul" of a place. Certain places are profoundly moving and like life itself, possess a sense of innate mystery. It is that mysteriousness that causes me to want to make a painting. There seems to be a problem with humans, in that we find it near nigh impossible to accept experience at the level of mystery. In order to become less fearful and more secure we appear to have a need to attempt to demystify and take refuge in such things as science and religion. We deny mystery and delude ourselves into believing that we are in control, in order to manage the experience of living. It could be claimed that the act of "representing" nature in two dimensions is a part of this process. It is undeniable that life is essentially a mystery and cannot adequately be explained, by any means so far at our disposal.

For over 60 years

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Essence of Places

I do not paint landscapes, but make images of places, that attempt to capture what for me is at least in part the essence or "soul" of a place. Certain places are profoundly moving and like life itself, possess a sense of innate mystery. It is that mysteriousness that causes me to want to make a painting. There seems to be a problem with humans, in that we find it near nigh impossible to accept experience at the level of mystery. In order to become less fearful and more secure we appear to have a need to attempt to demystify and take refuge in such things as science and religion. We deny mystery and delude ourselves into believing that we are in control, in order to manage the experience of living. It could be claimed that the act of "representing" nature in two dimensions is a part of this process. It is undeniable that life is essentially a mystery and cannot adequately be explained, by any means so far at our disposal.

For over 60 years I have sought to explore the mysteriousness of living, through painting.

A landscape is a location comprised of space, land, organic matter, light and colour, affected by the weather and the seasons and processed via our prevailing mood or state of mind and all those manifold and subjective things that make us individuals. Some places however, are much more than the sum of their parts, just like life itself. They appear to retain a "memory" of events that occurred there and our experience of them is in turn influenced by our knowledge of these past events. There is something indefinable about certain places that engender powerful emotions and responses, which for me are not best expressed in words.

I do not paint the place I saw, but the place I experienced. I am not concerned with making a figurative representation of a place, or with creating spatial illusions. The result is an image on a flat surface, recollecting an experience, but equally and more importantly creating a new and unique place, that is different to the one that inspired it.

So far as I can see, it is the magic of mystery that creates great art and art without that magic is lifeless.

Concepts / themes / ideas

For over 55 years I have sought to explore the mysteriousness of living through painting. So far as I can see, it is the magic of mystery that creates great art and art without that magic is lifeless.

Career path

Studied painting full time 1959-1963. Awarded Margaret Gardiner Prize on recommendation of Sir Terry Frost RA in 1966. Worked in education 1963-1990. Large one man exhibition sponsored by Humberside County Council, 1991. Frequent exhibitor in Laing Art Competition both regionally and nationally.

Membership

Axis

LSA (Leamington Studio Artists)

OAS (Oxford Art Society)

Royal Birmingham Society of Artists

UK Artists

Selected exhibitions

Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford
Royal West of England Academy
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Mall Galleries
Bond Gallery, Birmingham
Bristol Cathedral
Chichester Open Exhibition
Bridlington Library
Flamborough Library
Town Hall Gallery, Oxford
Green College, Oxford
Spiceball Arts Centre, Banbury
Cotswold Area Centre, Moreton
Little Gallery, Oxford
Said Business School, Oxford
Oxfordshire County Museum, Woodstock
Where I Fell in Love Gallery, Shipston-on-Stour
Brian Sinfield Gallery, Burford