Zoe Taylor

My inspiration is the land and skies of the British Isles. This won’t come as a surprise to you, but to be more precise, it is my experience of landscape that is the true inspiration. We each see a physical view in possibly a similar way but our experience of it is very individual, very personal, very different. It may also change from one day to the next. Very much like our weather, our mood may dictate whether the scene is benign and welcoming or harsh and unyielding. Our personal response is just that, personal.

As humans we attach ourselves to places which mean a lot to us, which trigger something in us, returning to a once a year holiday spot may find us taking a breath with a sigh at the familiar, and we feel at rest. We like to think that our landscape will be constant, yet it is ever changing by way of light, dark, wind, rain, snow and not least by man’s centuries old interference. The division of land and it’s uses will be the great dictator of what we see today and tomorrow.

As to my own response to landscape, I am often reflective. I find lonely places very emotional and find space there to think. The titles of my works often reflect the thoughts behind or beside the work, rather than what you are seeing, thereby giving you an open page to fill with your own thoughts. I see a title as a starting point for you to have your own conversation with a piece. My paintings organically change with each body of work I paint, this isn’t contrived, it’s just how it happens. My process barely changes yet the results can be very different.

Perhaps I’m still searching for something…