Melanie Taylor

Within Reach, 2023

oil on canvas

72 x 54 in

About the artist

Melanie Taylor

Melanie Taylor’s painting and drawing is an exploration of concurrent and divergent time. The conjunction of the gestural mark with the illusion of space and light incites a multiple response to extraneous places in the natural environment where past, present and future coexist. The works are informed by a range of visual and literary sources and the ability of painting to translate observations and thought. The physicality of the painting process through layering, revealing and concealing is central to the work, along with a sense of place and a connection to the vulnerable natural world. The works embody experimentation, reconsidering, looking, and moving through space, revealing traces of memory and perception through mark-making.

Born in Northumberland, England, Melanie now lives in San Diego, CA and the Surrey Hills, UK. She received a BFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design and MA Fine Art from the University of Southampton, UK, at the Winchester School of Art. She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums in the UK, USA, Spain and India, including the Blue Gallery, London, White Columns, NY, Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery, UK, Espai Cultural Caja Madrid, Barcelona, Bread & Salt, City Gallery and Art Produce Gallery in San Diego, CA. She is the recipient of professional awards for her artwork and has been an Artist-in-Residence at Art Produce, San Diego, CA and Sanskriti Pratishan, New Delhi, India. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including Art UK, University of Surrey, UK, Sanskriti Foundation, India, and Boston Ballet, USA.