The Power of Social Media!
When it came time to select an important piece of art for my newly renovated master bedroom and bath, I reached out to an artist I had been following on Instagram for months. Her name isTaylor Cox. Little did I know, she lives in Atlanta and her studio is 15 minutes away from our office. I'm telling you, the world keeps getting smaller and the power of social media is such a wonderful thing!
Here are a few recentInstagramposts that show some of her work in progress of her beach series coming July 21st.
She composed #100daysofpaletteknifework and produced some beautiful work!
I emailed her about commissioning a painting for me and supplied her with some examples of the work that I liked and then sent her photos of the room, fabrics, and the look I was going for.
Stay tuned to see the amazing piece she created for me. I will be having my spaces professionally photographed soon.
She works out of theArtisan Resource Center in Marietta, Georgia. The center houses 27 studios in more than 43,000 square feet with artists and craftsmen working in the field of sculpture, screen printing, custom furniture making, portrait painting, contemporary painting, ceramics, wood turning, textiles, architecture, wood working, decorative arts, jewelry, flame worked glass, stained glass, graphics, advertising, theater and film and movie production. That is a lot of creativity in one place!!
We took a little field trip (Kelly, our office manager Amy, and my granddaughter Jordyn) to the Artisan Resource Center to pick up my piece and meet Taylor in her studio!
There was so much to see!
left to right: Jordyn, Amy, Taylor
We had such a great time talking to Taylor. I was thrilled that she agreed to be interviewed for this blog post.
1. Did you grow up wanting to be an artist? If not, how did you fall into this?
I was always creative growing up, but I never thought I would be an artist. It all started when I got an art class in high school on accident. Meaning, I did not sign up for the class at all. I'm not sure why, but I remember asking if I could switch my class schedule around. I was denied, so I gave the class a shot. Eventually, I became obsessed with painting and spent most of my time doing so.
2. What is your training?
I received my BFA from Kennesaw State University in 2013 with a concentration in painting and drawing.
3. Can you tell me about the 100 paintings
in 100 days
?
The 100 Day Project was initially a Grad school project conceived by
.
then brought it to Instagram as a challenge to creatives to make something every day for 100 days. It can be a dance, a poem, a painting. The project is mainly about the process and less about creating a finished product. I had just started working with palette knives instead of brushes when the project started, so I decided to start #100daysofpaletteknifework.
4. What is your favorite series so far?
I have to say the 100 Day Project because my beach series began from the experimentation that the project allows. The beach series is a mixture of everything I love to paint. Painstaking miniature detail combined with gestural mark making.
5. How has Instagram affected your outreach?
Instagram has allowed me to not only connect with other artists around the country but also all over the world. I am also connecting to buyers from Australia, Switzerland, Japan, Barbados and so many other countries. It really is an incredible resource for an artist or small business owner.
6. What can we expect from you in the future?
More beach paintings. I just took a trip down to the beach for more reference images. I really do enjoy making these abstract worlds with tiny miniature people living inside of them.
As you can see, Taylor is pretty special - what a thrill to have one of her works and to meet her!!
Joann