Today we’d like to introduce you to Glenn Taylor
Hi Glenn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing how did you get started in art.
With over 25 years in in a non-art field, I started into visual arts later in life, just around the start of the pandemic. I’d been playing a little with cosmic art and had just started into pinhole photography before that, and the shutdown gave me some time and space at home to go deeper, to explore and experiment. My kids are both involved with art, and we’ve had many conversations along the way, about colors and composition, about my and their creations. After a while, I started sharing with friends and then social media and got a lot of encouragement. On a whim, I submitted some pieces to an art exhibition and to an art fair, and within a few weeks, I’d been accepted into both! In the three years since, I’ve been part of several exhibitions around the country and several juried art shows, and I’m learning more every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are no smooth roads! (sorry!)
Rejections from art shows or exhibitions or publications are always tough, no matter how many I have under my belt. A customer walking away, especially after talking for a while, can be disheartening. A show without a single sale can be heartbreaking. I try to remind myself that art is of course subjective and one customer’s or juror’s view won’t necessarily match the next. Then keep going.
It’s rare to get constructive feedback, but when I do, I try to make the most of it. One example — I got rejected from a major art fair because of my booth design. In retrospect, I hadn’t paid much attention to the booth. Wasn’t it supposed to be all about the art? The next weekend, I completely redesigned the booth from the ground up. I spent time thinking about presentation and flow and interaction. With that new design, I was accepted into the next 5 art fairs that I submitted to.
It’s also been challenging learning the language of art. I didn’t grow up in the visual arts world, so knowing how to talk about my art and myself as an artist has been very much a learning process.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in two modes of art, both grounded in photography.
First is pinhole photography, in which I make my own cameras and develop my photos by hand using common household products (coffee, washing soda, vitamin C, a mixture called caffenol). I enjoy the hands-on aspects of the entire process as well as the hand-made feel of the final products. Not many people do pinhole photography, so I’ve become known for it in the art events I’m in.
Second is space-themed art which starts out as photographs of cooking ingredients in kitchen pans — the pans are my canvases and oils and spices give me colors and textures. I build the elements in pans, photograph them, and do some editing like adding shading. I invented this way of making art, so it tends to stick in an audience’s mind as being unique.
Outside of what I’ve made artistically, I’m pretty proud of reinventing myself into a visual artist, a label I wouldn’t have used 5 years ago. I dove into something I knew very little about, and now my art is hanging on walls across the US and Europe. I’m creating, learning a ton, having fun, and meeting other artists that have become good friends.
What matters most to you? Why?
Connection.
With my kids: who were with me at the start of my art journey and have given me constant encouragement, feedback, and new ideas to try out.
With other artists in my art community: who come with different ideas and different struggles, but all with the common need to create; and who recognize that struggle in each other, who celebrate each other’s wins and lift each other up when they need help.
With strangers: who are affected by my art, who listen to my stories about my works or about my pathway here, and in which we both leave the conversation enriched in some way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://glenntaylorart.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/glenn010101/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Glenn.Taylor.Art
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/glenntaylorfineart.bsky.social
