Sharon Taylor's paintings evoke joy, memories

Kirk Boxleitner | Oct 06, 20220

Courtesy photo count

A Sharon Taylor painting.

Belfair Self-Storage's artist of the month for October is visual artist Sharon Taylor, for whom business manager Barbara Treick will display a sampling of her pieces this coming month on the self-storage offices' art wall.

"Describing the type of art that I create is somewhat difficult, because I don't have one particular type," Taylor said. "I love all art. I see art in just about everything. It really comes from my heart. I love to paint with acrylics and watercolor. I love using various media to create unusual or unique pieces, or even ordinary pieces."

Taylor has no formal art training, and considers herself an amateur, to the point that "any artistic ability I might have is from my father, Jimmy Lee," whom she called "an amazing artist in every type of art," including oils.

"I learned to love and appreciate art from watching him," Taylor said. "Also, I give glory to Jesus, my lord and savior."

One of Taylor's proudest artistic accomplishments has been a horse piece that she sold to a stranger at a farmers market, only to discover later that it was given as a gift to a lady who'd lost her horse, thereby making Taylor's piece an unintended memorial.

"I feel accomplished when my art makes people happy," Taylor said. "It's more challenging to please myself. I am very critical of my own work."

Taylor met Treick through a prior art exhibit at Belfair Self-Storage.

"Barbara is a very sweet lady," Taylor said. "I stopped in to view the artist of the month, and when I inquired about displaying my own art, she was very pleasant. So, you could say the sign is why I stopped."

Among the pieces to be displayed at Belfair Self-Storage, Taylor said, will be an acrylic painting on canvas. Several others will employ birchwood and metallic acrylic paints, "with glue as part of the medium, very fun to do." She promised that the pieces she chose would "represent a wide spectrum of the lives we live."

"When I see a piece of art, it either brings a memory to my mind, or reminds me of a bucket-list item I have," Taylor said. "To me, art is emotion."

Classic "muscle cars" are a recurring theme for Taylor, because she believes they can revive memories of "the good old days" for someone, whether those involve "cruising the strip on a Friday night or drag racing behind the brewery."

Another of Taylor's subjects has been "a gnarly, creepy tree, with a skull embedded in the tree," which she explained is for "the pirate inside some of us."

Other pieces display Taylor's love of sea life, or showcase autumn pieces "to remind us fall is right around the corner, so we could be sitting on the porch in the early morning, sipping coffee in our footy pajamas and a blanket, thinking pumpkin spice sounds nice."

Taylor wants her work to convey her beliefs that art is all around us, and everyone has gifts to give, "and creating art is a wonderful way to deliver those gifts, so don't keep it to yourself."

Taylor concluded, "I create to bring joy and smiles to those who otherwise might not feel like they had reasons to smile."

If you're interested in learning more about the art wall, call Treick at 360-275-2257 or email [email protected].