Sculpture by Chris Taylor. Photo by Susan Raines.
Part 1: Chris Taylor - Sculpting with Heart
The world of art is full of people who spend their lives risking success and failure. Those artists who have the means to go at it full time are more often initially single, childless, or retired from other unrelated careers. Being an artist isn’t easy from the moment of creative vision and training to the culminating process of showing and selling their work. It’s tough and it’s got to be one of the most difficult roads to confront and head down with enough commitment to make it work. There are numerous local Sacramento artists who prefer to have those details skipped that make mention to their other traditional careers in fear that this makes them appear less legitimate because they are not solely full time artists. Well, this is understandable but on the other hand, bravo to the mother or father, bravo to the grandmother, bravo to the late bloomer, bravo to those who must maintain a household filled with family, pets, spouses, and mortgages who must push their creativity and art into the moments they can steal from the daily necessities! One such artist who well deserves a multitude of these Bravos is ceramic artist Chris Taylor.
.JPG)
Ceramic art by Chris Taylor. Photo by Susan Raines.
Chris started ceramics in high school and ceramics was, in fact, one of the few subjects that truly summoned her interest. Like many fine and talented artists, she found herself tending to the needs of a family and practicing the noble art of motherhood. Ceramics took a back seat and creativity was more often designated to the manner in which she applied herself to multiple tasks in educating, entertaining, and supporting her family. She took her creativity into the classroom by volunteering with art projects and also delighted not only her own children but those from miles around who sought out her annual haunted houses that she constructed with other creative parents. The girl scouts also benefited from her instruction in arts and crafts. Bottom line - Chris is a typical diva of motherhood investing her creativity and intelligence in her children first and finding as they mature that her talents are already deeply rooted and simply waiting for new forms of expression.
Entrance to the Blue Moon Gallery where Chris Taylor currently shows her work in a quaint cottage specially renovated for her displays of ceramic art. Photo by Susan Raines.
Mrs. Taylor currently continues to live her down-to-earth life as a devoted wife and grandmother while also continuing her traditional career in that too often uninspiring box called the office. However, she now shows her work at the Blue Moon Gallery in Sacramento and has her own special cottage filled with amazing clay sculpture and pottery that demonstrates how well her creative passion bloomed into a viable art that is well received by the public. She will be among those exclusively featured artists at the Blue Moon Gallery in the April exhibit that also includes Susan Cawthon (see a feature article here) and Kathy Young Ross. Please continue to part 2 here.
Comments
I met Chris and she is a very nice lady. Her art is pretty good. Glad to see you covered her. Some of the atr pieces you have shown i did not see. Great job Chris. I have to go back. Thanks for giving us these atricles Susan
this is why you shouldn't go to art school, spend all this tuition for nothing. starving artist is a grand joke. like they always say, get a job. or a day job. then you wouldn't have to risk anything you feel passionate about on the side. art schools have lied for years how great this field is. it's on the bottom of the chicken barrel, it's not even a discipline but child's play for someone who doesn't want to enter the real working world and learn real skills in order to make money.
Oh dear Human Beak - wow, you seem kind of angry. There are plenty of legitimate hard working artists who pursue their passion full time. They aren't loafers or dreamers. Those I know work hours every day and week getting their work out there, creating it, studying, etc. My article surely does not insinuate that full time artists are not working, responsible people. If they can make it without sitting in the office or working a crane on a construction site, bravo to them!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!