KEVIN TAYLOR Interview with the US artistMega art

Kevin Taylor gave me an exclusive interview where he talks about his inspirations and working process.

Kevin Taylor is a great oil painter from the USA.
Among other things, he explores time based art forms such as sound and video. He lives in San Francisco, and occasionally have ideas coming to him “rather vividly in dreams”. Kevin is currently preparing 2 shows:
Deviant Instinct – Opening September 6th 2011 at Circle Culture in Berlin, Germany.
Primal Union – Opening October 13th at Rebekah Jacob Gallery in Charleston, SC.
More about the US painter Kevin Taylor.

Surrealist artwork with animals by Kevin Taylor

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Hello, my name is Kevin. Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, I now live in San Francisco, California. In the small portion of time that I’m not making things into other things, I like to hang out, drink some beers with my friends and go on adventures.

US painter Kevin Taylor describes his artwork as somewhere “between human and nature”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK?
My work explores the relationship and synthesized division between humans and nature.

Kevin Taylor love to paint scenes with animals fights

PLEASE SHARE WITH US YOUR WORKING PROCESS
I mostly paint with oil paint on wood panel. I start off with a bit of an idea, which occasionally come to me rather vividly in dreams, but mostly pop into my head when I’m in the middle of buying a sandwich, having a conversation, or just staring at the wall. Next, I gather appropriate reference materials and then refine the composition in a sketchbook or directly on the panel. Once the basic drawing is penciled onto the panel, I coat the drawing with a varnish like substance that preserves the lines and creates a smooth, non-porous surface and cancels out any texture of the wood. I then begin painting, first with a very crude and raw approach using the darker tones. From here, it’s a process of mostly removing paint with rags, Gamsol and other materials which I’ve learned to utilize. After I finish the initial underpainting, I let it dry, and then go back in with glazes and details. Sometimes in this stage of the painting, I add or subtract elements to push it over the edge into an unplanned direction. Finally, I cut and stain moulding, then slap it onto the sides to act as a frame. It’s a technique that I’ve developed over the last 15 years and relies a lot on the properties of oil paint and the vast array of mediums available.