KRISTINE TAYLOR

BIO

Kristine Taylor lives in rural Portola Valley, California, in the same house where she grew up.  As a child she was passionate about animals and art. Her mother, an oil painter, encouraged her to develop her artistic talents, and her father, an engineer, taught her to use the many tools in his home woodshop and foundry. 

Kristine graduated from Stanford University in 1973 with a B.A. degree in fine art, and spent several years doing machine work for a scale model/prototyping company.  While raising her family, she focused on graphic design as a career, and painted with oils and watercolor for her own enjoyment. 

In 2007, Kristine turned her focus to sculpture, which she found to be the perfect blend of her love of tools and the creative process. At first, she cast her pieces in epoxy resin and hand painted the finish, but soon found that resin was limiting the size of the works she wanted to produce.  In 2009, she switched to bronze as the medium for her sculptures and now works with the artisans at a world class art foundry in Berkeley, California. Her knowledge of animals is evident in her work, not only in the proportions of the subject but also in the personality revealed in each piece. 

Outside of studio work,  Kristine works with local high school students who participate in an annual robotics competition.  Teaching the next generation how to use tools and machinery, do welding, engineering and design is her way of sharing the skills that have brought her joy and a meaningful career.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Animals have always fascinated me, especially in the way their behavior and movement reveals their character. Their pose can speak volumes about their personality.  It is this silent communication that I capture in my work, using a simplified and refined style, rather than representational, which lets the animal tell its own story. 

Inspiration for my pieces comes in many forms.  Sometimes, the wild birds and animals that live around my rural home captivate me, or it is a photograph that gets my attention.  Once inspired, I research the animal to understand its behavior and how that behavior reveals the essence of the animal.   Ideally, I try to study a live subject, if one is accessible, but often I use photographs and sketches.  I look for a pose or a subtle gesture that captures the animal’s beauty, grace, and even its plight.  I enjoy getting to know the animal at an even deeper level through the sculpting process. 

My sculptures are cast in bronze, in limited editions of 15.  For the modeling of the original “master” form, I use epoxy clay, a self-hardening clay that can be carved, machined, sanded, and polished. As I work and become more familiar with the animal, I may change the original form to further enhance the pose.  Some pieces just seem to know who they are and quickly take shape.  Others I struggle with and end up putting it on a shelf for awhile.  We may stare at each other for a long time, but then one day, we are ready to carry on.  

When complete, I have the clay master cast in bronze at an artwork foundry.  Casting is a very labor intensive, multi-step process involving several artists doing the mold-making, wax work, metal pouring, finish work, and applying the final patina (coloration).  I spend a lot of time working with these skilled and talented artists, making decisions and adjustments in order to bring the piece to “life.”

EXHIBITIONS

2017 National Sculpture Society Performance in Sculpture, Straz Center, Tampa FL
2017 Annual Art Show and Sale, MacArthur Beach State Park, Palm Beach, FL
2016 Birds in Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI (national tour)
2016 Art and the Animal, 56th Annual Exhibition, Society of Animal Artists, Houston, TX (national tour)
2015 National Sculpture Society Performance in Sculpture, Straz Center, Tampa FL
2015 Collectors' Reserve Show and Sale, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK
2015 Society of Animal Artists - Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY
2015 Birds in Art (Juried exhibition) - Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
2014 Birds in Art (Juried exhibition) - Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
2014 Society of Animal Artists - The Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO
2014 National Sculpture Society,  Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC
2013 Bronze Solo, Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2013  Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Show and Sale (Juried exhibition)
2013  National Sculpture Society, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
2013  National Sculpture Society,  Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC
2013 Animals in Art (Juried exhibition) - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
2012 Society of Animal Artists (Juried exhibition) - Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ
         The Art Museum, U of K, Lexington, KY
         Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha, WI
         MacNider Art Museum, Mason City, IA
2012  Animals: Facts, Fairy Tales & Fantasy, (Juried exhibition) - Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2012 3D Group Show - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2012  Silicon Valley Open Studios - Palo Alto, CA
2011 Society of Animal Artists (Juried exhibition) - Dennos Museum, Travers City, MI
        Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO  
        Dunnegan Gallery of Art, Bolivar, MO
        Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI
2011 Birds in Art (Juried exhibition) - Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
2011 Summer Dreams - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2011 3D Group Show - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2011 Silicon Valley Open Studios - Palo Alto, CA
2010 Opposite Attraction - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2010 Fur, Feathers & Fins (Juried) - Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
2010 Saratoga Rotary Art Show (Juried) - Saratoga, CA
2010 3D Group Show - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2010 Fresh Faces Show - Gallery House, Palo Alto, CA
2009 May Featured Artist - Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA

AWARDS

2015 Collectors' Reserve Invitational Show and Sale (Honorable Mention - 3's A Crowd) - Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK
2014 National Sculpture Society 81st Annual Exhibition (Pat Munson Prize for Avian Art- Macaw) - Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC
2013 National Sculpture Society 80th Annual Exhibition (Bedi-Makky Foundry Prize – Preening Swan) - Tampa Museum of Art , Tampa, FL
2013 Artists’ Assoc. of Northern Colorado Show and Sale (Honorable Mention - Cougar) – Fort Collins, Colorado
2012 Animals: Facts, Fairy Tales & Fantasy, First Place - Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA