Maggie Taylor, Oh, Happy Day!; Evening Plunge; and Water Folly

Maggie Taylor, Oh Happy Day!, 2009

Maggie Taylor is an exciting digital collage artist. Her artwork has a surrealist nature with a dreamlike quality. I feel like I have discovered an artist who’s artistic vision meshes with the vision I have. The problem being mine is in my head; Taylor has made her vision a reality. Taylor inspires me to take the step from transferring the ideas in my head into an art piece. 

I find myself drawn to Taylor’s landscapes. The three pieces that are the most appealing to me are: Oh, Happy Day!; Evening Plunge; and Water Folly. Dreamy blues, greens, and yellows make up the color palette of Oh, Happy Day! There is a tree floating above a hole in the center of the composition. The roots are evident, like the tree has just been uprooted. For some magical reason the tree just hovers weightlessly above the ground. There is a ladder peaking out of the dark hole; it makes the viewer ask questions. Where does the hole lead? Who is in the hole? Fluffy clouds and rooted trees in the background keep the scene from becoming creepy. Another element that keeps the image as a dream are the butterflies that seem to be attracted to this magical event. There is a blurring or aged look to the perimeter of the work, it shows that whatever happens in Oh, Happy Day!  is definitely not reality. 

Maggie Taylor. Water Folly, 2007

Water Folly is a related piece that has a similar background landscape. It uses a muted version of the same colors, with some grays added in. This piece also uses a ladder, however, it has become the focal point. Next to the ladder is a tiny pool of water. It makes the viewer want to know who exactly is going to jump into the water, and how they are going to fit in that little pool. Floating above the ladder is a bluish purple butterfly that was seen in Oh, Happy Day! The background has turned into a backdrop like one that would be used in a photo shoot. That effect is created by dark cut outs along the sides and bottom of the backdrop. The piece also has the aged dreamlike look to it.

Maggie Taylor, Evening Plunge, 2007

The last landscape I looked at is Evening Plunge. As the title suggests this piece takes place in the evening, therefore it is darker in tone. It is made up of purples, blues, silvers, and blacks. The sky is alight with twinkling stars and a glowing moon. There are dark trees lower in background. The foreground is a body of water that reflects the sky and trees.  A ring of water is the focal point of the image. It again causes the viewer to ask questions. What kind of creature is swimming this late at night? What happened to them? The perimeter of image is darkened to give it a dreamy look similar to the other two pieces. It also appears that it has dark scratches on the surface, like one trying to recall a memory. 

Maggie Taylor’s images are strange and mysterious. They draw the viewer into her world. Once in this world it is hard to leave. It makes one want to stay longer, or at least create a parallel world where equally enchanting things can happen.