Janny Taylor
As a collagist, my process involves collecting and gathering a variety of materials such as photographs, text, found objects, and other ephemera. I am drawn to the historical and emotional weight that these materials carry, and I strive to create new narratives and meanings by combining and juxtaposing them in unexpected ways. I often work intuitively, allowing the materials to guide the composition and direction of the piece.
I believe that the act of collaging is a form of re-contextualization, where familiar elements are rearranged to create new associations and perspectives. It is a way of creating a new reality, one that reflects my personal experiences, thoughts, and beliefs.
In my collages, I strive to create a sense of beauty through the unexpected and unusual combinations of materials. As Edgar Allen Poe said, 'There is no exquisite beauty... without some strangeness in the proportion.' I believe that by embracing the strangeness and imperfections of the found materials, I can create a unique and striking visual language that challenges traditional notions of beauty.
I see the process of making art as a combination of technical skill, personal vision, and a willingness to be open and responsive to the materials and the subconscious. My goal is to create work that is visually striking, emotionally resonant, and thought-provoking, inviting the viewer to engage with the piece on a deeper level and discover their own meanings.
I sit…listen...wait. And in the quiet, the stillness, I “hear.” The imagination is captured. An expressive impulse surfaces. Creativity transpires.
Bio
Janny Taylor is an award-winning, internationally shown artist. Her work has been featured in a multitude of galleries as well as museums, including MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, NYC), and the National Catholic Museum (NYC), and she has been published in numerous places; most notably the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sun Times, and O-the Oprah Magazine.
Taylor is the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed, best selling book “Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal” (Penguin publishing).
In addition, she is the co-founder of the Harlem Open Artists Studio Tour, NYC and the Arizona Collage Collective. Taylor studied with the renowned feminist artist, Anita Steckel, at The Art Students League and at Parsons School of Design both in New York City. She has been living and loving in the Sonoran Desert for over a decade.
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Reviews, Juror, Interviews
Review: Collage Work by Lori Waxman, art critic, Chicago Tribune, for her 60 WRD/MIN ART CRITIC project.
Review: Long-Suffering Female Artists by Beth Surdut, Journalist, for The Desert Leaf, pages 41 and 42.
Juror: Transitional MOMENTS: restoring equilibrium through the art of collage (Publisher: Kolaj Institute) 2022
Interview: ShoutOut Arizona, August 2021
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Art Galleries to Museums:
Here, a list of the highlights, from art galleries to museums, where Janny Taylor's work has shown.
SAACA Exhibit at Roche Laboratories, Oro Valley, AZ - featured artist - 2022
Ceres Gallery, NYC, NY - HeartLines Continue - 2022
National Collage Society, January 2022 for Calendar year of 2022, juried
The Art of Planetary Science Exhibition, University of Arizona, Juried Competition "SpaceCruiser Sagittarius" 2022
Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Juried exhibition, "AZ Free to Be" - 2021
Picturing 2020 - University of Arizona Museum of Art - "Daphne's Mask"
saaca - South Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, Featured Artist, November 2020
Steinfeld Warehouse Art Center, Tucson, AZ
Represented by Retail, Cuchifritos, New York City, NY
Urban Earth Gallery, Corona Del Mar, California
La Superette, Deitch Projects, SoHo, NY and Participant Inc., Lower East Side, New York City, NY
Migraine Masterpieces, The John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL, Merit Award
Home & Garden, Studio Place Arts Gallery, Barre, Vermont
Manifestations II- Denise Bibro Fine Art, Chelsea, New York City, NY
Unforgettable- Berlin Kunstproject, Berlin (Kreuzberg), Germany
Glory Be!- Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, Coshocton, Ohio
Postcards from the Edge- Speronewestwater Gallery, Chelsea, New York City, NY
Mnemonic- LaGuardia Community College, Long Island City, NY
Autobiographies- Womanmade Gallery, Chicago, IL, Best In Show
Bridal Helmets- Concourse Gallery @ the Art Student’s League, New York, NY, Best In Show
FiberArt- Old Courthouse Arts Center, Woodstock, IL,
Small Works Show - 80 Washington East Galleries, Greenwich Village, New York, NY, Honorable Mention
Museums
Lake County Discovery Museum, Illinois
Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, Coshocton, Ohio
MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), New York City , NY
National Catholic Museum – East Harlem, New York, NY
Curatorial Exhibits
Harlem Open Artist Studio Tour, New York, NY
Crossing Eastern Parkway, Rongio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Gazpacho- Highland Cultural Center, Highland, NY
Faces/Phases, The Alternative Gallery Space, New York City, NY (Manhattan Borough Presidents Gallery)
Co-Founder
The RoyGBiv Society, New York, NY
artHARLEM, H.O.A.S.T. (Harlem Open Artist Studio Tour)
Author/Illustrator
Get in Touch
Steinfeld Warehouse Arts Center, 101 W 6 St., Tucson, AZ 85701
917-312-0005