Inspired by the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition

Went to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition this weekend. I have been for a number of years and the composition of artists was quite different this year – lots of jewelry and nice to see more abstract than I remember in previous years. There were some works that I was very impressed with – surprisingly drawn to the abstract painters and some that left me cold. Over the next few blogs, I am going to focus on a few of those artists who have inspired me…

Karen Taylor (no relation)– a friend of mine and I am always inspired by her work – colourful and full of energy. I love how her bio talks about escaping the cold rainy weather of Scotland, presumably to add more colour to her life and that her paintings beautifully capture that colour and energy. One of my favourites of hers that was on show at the TOAE was a new work called “Cherry Trees in Bloom” – so new it is not yet on the website. To the left, is Aqua Orange – great lines.

Karen’s Artists Statement: “I am heavily influenced by the English Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau, especially Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose works are an integral part of my native Glasgow. Acrylics have granted me the freedom to express these organic, sinuous forms whilst also allowing me to build up depth using translucent layers reflecting many years working with pastels.”

We are exploring doing an abstract show together in the fall – I’ll keep you posted…