Jumping in front of my installation piece screaming a cry of victory now that my exhibit is over! Well, the reception part is over and was a huge success, even considering the fact that my reception food fed many hungry mooching starving students. Glad to be of service to you.
This exhibition is my last requirement to graduate, a 7 year journey! A journey well worth the BFA I so proudly earned!
If you want to see my art exhibit "Projections" it's up until March 15th in the HFAC, 3rd floor, Gallery 303! The installation was a hit and it was ONLY the opening night so you'll miss that mighty jewel, but don't worry I forgive you!
Also, be sure to check out my new web site whitneyAtaylor.com to see some of the pieces in the show.

I have done 40 successful collages for my BFA series (and about that many failures). My final show is scheduled for the first two weeks in March, so mark your calendars.
I'm working with concepts that have to do with memory, and the collage process of this work truly demonstrates the arrangement of memories, the process of taking parts of one and parts of another and bringing them together to form an image more BEAUTIFUL perhaps than anything to be found in reality.  The different pieces with which it is composed have all been taken from a truth, and it's content is of actual experiences. Our memories truly are a combination of truths. 

These two collages are from a series I've been working on this semester. All the collages have to do with memory and place. I'm simply responding to old family snap shots. I'm building off of memories/ actual events that've happened to me or someone I love, and through responding formally they end up morphing into their own superficial reality. There is symbolism behind these and how they represent our memories. I think it's very interesting how memories can morph and change in time.
I entered these two into a show @ BYU entitled, "Nature and Nurture". The show is suppose to be a response to the Family Proclamation.
When I think of The Family Proclamation I think of the home, and how vital it is to have the family unit functioning the way it was designed. What happens in the home can have a major impact on our children and the future generation.
This first piece is entitled "Their Choices" and it's based on a photo from when my parents were first married living in LA (It's an LA grocery store parking lot). It represents the choices they made early on that have effected my siblings and I.

This next piece is entitled "My Choices" and it's a response to a childhood photo of myself, but is based on my memory from experiences I had while living in Ukraine. It represents the choices I've made throughout my life and is reflective of how I was raised. The choices I've made have helped to define me, and I will forever be effected by my memories and experiences.

So I never do updates on my art, and I need to get in a better habit of doing so. I've spent this whole semester figuring out the direction I want my work to go. I have until December to produce a body of work for my BFA final show, and the stress of deciding on something I love has really gotten to me. I know I want to do pieces based on family, my own way of getting involved in family history. After all family is the most important thing.
1. First I began stitching these portraits of my close relatives (stitched on a sewing machine with fabric and felt), I wanted to collect my relative's stories and clothing and incorporate it into the pieces somehow. I did about 10 of these.
2. Since then the idea has evolved into not only highlighting these family members, but highlighting my life and my memories. Which led to these little mini oils. These oils are painted on photos. I liked the idea of taking an actual event/ memory in my life (the photo itself), building up layers so that the details are lost. The shapes are simplified and the faces are missing. I believe all our memories become more abstract as the details are lost. We really remember what we choose to while the actual event is altered. I wanted these paintings to resemble 'snapshots' achieved through their size (3x5) as well as through their compositions. These snapshots resemble photos we all have laying around in our house. They become 'snapshots' of my life/ memory, and hopefully arise memories of experiences within you (the viewer).
Anyway I plan to do 200 of these over the summer, and if the work is ever exhibited it will be viewed as an installation. I will install it so the gallery space/room has the walls plastered in these paintings from floor to ceiling.

but who knows.... it might continue to evolve.

So along with finals I was busy preparing my work for multiple art shows. I got to have my work in three exhibitions and I finally have time to post about it. The last show Salon Style is still up, and the opening reception is Thursday night from 6-9. So if you want to see cool art and get free refreshments this is where you should be.

322 Jars on the Wall
1&2. Our Jar exhibit went real well. Out of the 322 jars, we sold around 300 of them. That's 3,000$ donated to the Utah Food Bank. For every 1$ donated it buys 5$ worth of food. So we raised $15,000 worth to be donated to those in need. This was a big sacrifice for everyone in the class. We spent the majority of the semester investing hours and hours into these 10x11 paintings just to give them away. Some of mine I painted 3-4 times until I was content with the outcome (some I was never happy). A big sacrifice, but so worth it.
And don't worry I definitely walked away having bought some myself, I bought 5 of my classmate's.

Your Temporary Password: 3VA5STU3
1. My Digital art class had a show as well.

2. My piece is entitled "5 months in Europe", and it consists of scraps I collected while I lived in Ukraine traveling Europe. I collaged the scraps and arranged them in a calendar pattern representing days that I lived there and experiences I had. There are 132 circles representing the 4.5 months I was there. It's a journal of events!

Salon Style

1. Here is the poster advertisement for the show. This show is a collaboration of oil and watercolor students. There are very few watercolors so my watercolor totally stands out against the oils.
2. This is the structure which inspired all the paintings.

(Yes I'm still waiting to here back to see if this piece got into that New York show. I'm suppose to find out next month. Keep your fingers crossed!)

This is the advertisement for my oil painting class. We are selling 322 jar paintings, for only 10$ each. All the proceeds are to go to the food bank to feed those in need this holiday season. The paintings are amazing! No where else can you get sweet art for so cheap, while being charitable.

Here's the info:
Dec. 3-14
BYU Gallery 303 HFAC
OPENING is Dec. 3, 6-8 pm
Refreshments will be served.

Please link your blog to this advertisement and help us out in advertising!

So I've done a lot of painting lately and no updating on my paintings/ ideas. This watercolor below is about 2x2.5 feet in diameter, and it took me about 15 hours to paint. I painted it specifically to enter into an exhibit in New York city (A watercolor show). I have my fingers crossed that I can get in, but I'm doubting it since I'm going up against the best watercolorists in the nation. The only reason I have a glimpse of hope is the fact that they have a student category. Yay for being a student.
I think many people don't like/ appreciate abstracted art. I love it more and more as time goes on.