ARTIST BIO

Taylor (Choctaw/Irish) is an artist & poet who has lived in NY for the last 15 years. His primary medium is colored pencils and paper, with an emphasis on figurative representations and portraiture, often couples with his poetry. His poems are of the dispossessed, street people, hustlers... the lonely. Showing an acute understanding of the lives and psyches of his subjects, Taylor uses poetry and drawings to create a devastating work that not only chills the reader, but leaves one stunned at the eloquence of his writing. Though tragic in its themes, Taylor's illustrations and poetry may be liberating and cathartic for both the writer and the readers. Taylor's honest portrayal of a life colored by shame is at once a sadly beautiful series of works, and more so, a profoundly important body of work.

PUBLICATIONS

The Door - Comic Strip - 1993
Shame - Poems & Illustrations -1994
Twist V. 1 - Illustration - 1997
Twist V. 4 - Illustration - 1997
Talking Stick V. 1.4 - Poems - 1998
Emotional Rotations - Poems & Illustrations - 2003
The Landmark Issue 4 V. IV- Say Goodbye - April 2003
The Landmark Issue 7 V. IV- Exhibit Article - July 2003
AICH Newsletter V. XX Issue 1 - Brand New Power - Spring 2004
The Forum - Poem - 2004
www.tapwe.com - Poem - 2004

SHOWS

Limelight - Self Portraits of Queerdonna - Feb. 1994
Cafe Elsie - "Shame" Illustrations & Poems - Nov. 1993
Krash -Flyers -1995-1996
New York Mix Art of the five "Civilized" Burroughs - AICH Gallery - February 2005

LOGO DESIGN

Queen of Outerspace 1994

ILLUSTRATION

All Access V. 1 Issue 4- Human Nature - January 1998
HX Magazine V. 689 - Pussy Lips- Nov. 2004

ARTIST STATEMENT

When I was a kid I would draw often because paper & pencils were free and I never had the chance to do other things that cost money. My five older siblings ruined my chance at an early age by taking music lessons and other activities which my parents had pre-paid for them, eventually drop out or grow tired of it. When it was my time to choose an interest I was told to get a job instead. Being only eleven, I got a paper route, mowed lawns and collected cans to buy art supplies for my work.

As a young adult, I enjoyed creating and using my imagination. I felt very alive and sometimes I felt like my hand was flowing by itself while I watched it create. Since my parents were not married, I lived both between my mom & dad and their families. The physical and emotional abuse both at home at school forced me to isolate myself from everyone. I would put on my headphones & listen to music and just draw for hours.

At eighteen years old I hitch hiked to New York City to get away from a small town life. Once hitting the streets of Times Square, I was the happiest person alive. Even though I only had thirteen dollars in my pocket it didn’t matter because I was finally able to express myself without anyone hurting me or telling me to shut me up.

In 1992, I started writing my book "Shame", a story about a boy growing up gay in a small town placing a little of me and what I learned from a gay, lesbian and transgender youth group that I attended for a month at The Door Alternative Learning Center. Although unpublished, I am still very proud of it today. My second book "Emotional Rotation" I completed in 2003, a collection of poetry & illustrations about my "twenty's" in New York City. I would like to call it my teen years though because I finally felt popular and had group of friends who believed in me with no one saying I was ugly.

Now, in my thirties, I feel more mature in some ways but I’m still a kid at heart when I draw or write. And although I am not churchgoer I do believe in GOD and he or she has given me a gift to use to create works of art. GOD has protected me thru my ups & downs in this life.

"I lived and learned from the choices & the mistakes I’ve made and now know I have a tale to tell"

Website:

www.myspace.com/TAYLOR1NY

Taylor 2005