Jo Taylor is the choice for my first blog for Blondes Fine Art. Yes, I am joining my husband, Mark, in the Gallery on a full time basis and I have chosen these early pieces by Jo Taylor about which to wax lyrical.
The way we all relate to the horse is massively different from each other but in my case my passion for horses stems all the way back to childhood. Who would have predicted that in my middle age I would still spend several hours every day with one of these majestic creatures? Our now elderly lad is still with us and owes us nothing but we as a family owe him a great deal.Toby, our daughter's horse was a talented show jumper but particularly excelled in eventing. He quite literally brought our family together as we all established our roles within his routine... driver, groom, trainer and rider.The subject matter of these paintings by Jo Taylor resonates strongly and brings back memories of days spent watching at Burghley and Blenheim horse trials; conversations of aspirations and ambitions; Pony club and riding out with the hunt. Some dreams were achieved but many remained in the dream stage.
Jo Taylor's relationship also started at an early age. Born in Lancashire in 1969 she grew to be an accomplished horse woman and would often be spotted riding the fells followed by her trusty greyhound who has also been the subject matter of some of her work. In the late 1980's and early 90's Jo studied at the Leeds Metropolitan University, coincidentally the chosen place of study for our daughter who has made this Yorkshire town her home ever since.In the years that followed Jo became the artist in residence at The University of Liverpool in the department of Veterinary Science. Although Jo already possessed an instinctive and accurate knowledge of the physiology of the horse and was already producing work which demonstrated this through her unique and somewhat abstract style, her residency enabled her to develop an even greater understanding of the animal's anatomy, a talent rarely seen and only in work produced by the greats such as Stubbs.
Always drawing from real life Jo's passion has taken her all over the world.
These pieces are examples of Jo's work from the early 1990's. Their simplicity and complexity sit comfortably together. The blend of the three Eventing disciplines and the perfect flow of the animals are aesthetically pleasing and thought provoking all at once. The horses appear anatomically correct but we can see through them, muscle and tendon exposed. The riders are donned appropriately but they have no features. How can these images be abstract and almost scientific at the same time? In short I am mesmerised by Jo's unique approach and her ability to bring the horse to life in a way I have not seen before.
They say that if you are privileged enough to spend time with this almost mythical creature they somehow get under your skin. In my opinion Jo Taylor has reversed this phrase and when looking at her horses I feel I am seeing under their skin. It's powerful. When I discovered this artist I half halted, momentarily spooked and then my emotions reared. She is a very talented artist and in these examples uses geometric shapes to enhance the horse, splashes of ink to represent the mud splashing and the colour of the riders and horses attire to bring the whole composition to life.
Jo has gone on, in more recent times, to depict her equine subjects with a streaming fluency on often huge sheets of paper capturing the shapes and movement from the tautness of reined back impatience to the flow of an effortless pace. In Jo's work the viewer feels the relationship between horse and human. She went on to do exactly the same with the Bull and the primal theatre of the Bull ring. Its huge dark mass become almost a landscape of muscle. Jo captures the shapes and patterns and energy of these creatures with the same passion as the horse. She adds collage , and lets paint stream to accentuate the movement and bulk.
So its seems that whatever the subject and medium Jo Taylor is now a highly skilled and highly acclaimed artist with great talent and passion. We are very happy to curently hod three subjects by her from the early period of her practise so please contact us for more information.