Bringing it all back home
Anyone who knows Dunedin artist and ultra-marathon runner Peter Taylor won’t be surprised that the birth of his first child eight months ago didn’t keep him from continuing to explore the roads and trails of the Noisy River valley – in fact, his closest friends in Dunedin purchased him and partner Leslie Evans an off-road running stroller as a baby shower present, knowing that Taylor wouldn’t be able to slow down.
What did come as a surprise, for Taylor himself at least, was the way he was able to translate his off-road experiences, and the wild vistas he came upon, into art. Traditionally an oil-on-large-canvas guy, he quickly found that daddy daycare – baby Isla spent a lot of time in Taylor’s studio afterall, napping in a Pack and Play after joining him on a morning run – did not always gel with spending long hours on big paintings.
“I tried it a few times, but it was really hard to maintain focus without becoming a really bad dad,” he said.
In the 13 years he’d been painting for a living, though, Taylor had always had an image in the back of his head, of a whole bunch of small-format work on one wall. He’d also had a growing desire to return to drawing, a skill he’d used during the 10-year illustration career that predated his decision to become a full-time artist.
“I also had some beautiful paper that had been given to me as a gift,” said Taylor, “so I started experimenting with smaller sketches.”
The result is “Project 50,” a self-curated show of 50 eight-by-eight works in mixed media – some use pen and ink, some use pastels, some use paint. All of them depict places that Taylor has visited and fallen in love with. From Crowsnest Pass in the Rockies to the lakes of Temagami in Ontario to Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, the sketches span the width of Canada.
The show, which will take place this weekend only – Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 from 10 am to 5 pm – marks the first major local exhibit for Taylor since he and Evans moved to the area in 2006. For the past 13 years, Taylor has focused on doing one large show a year in Toronto, all of which have benefited Amici, a not-for-profit organization which sends underprivileged children to Ontario summer camps.
This show is a whole different thing, inspired by the birth of Isla, worked on in spurts between child care duties, and staged in Taylor’s own studio in the village that’s now his home.
“I’m a bit nervous this time, because it’s all so close to home,” said Taylor. “But I’m excited also, to share this work in the place that I love.”
“Project 50” can be found at 10 Lavender Hill Road in Dunedin – look for Taylor’s extensive front-yard vegetable gardens. For more information call 705-466-5424 or visit www.petertaylorpaintings.com.
