Maggie Taylor: Dream Maker

This week I have been exploring the work of fantasy image makers. The work of Maggie Taylor has always been a favorite of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed researching her. I even tried my hand at a Taylor inspired fantasy image making. I tried my hand at creating a piece from bits in my archive of images. It is posted below.

My first experience with Maggie Taylor's work was not through any institutional setting, neither did I stumble upon it over the interweb. No, I was introduced to her dreamlike imagery through the everyday object known more for moving storytelling than still ones, my television. It is a widely known fact that I rarely watch much television, preferring to listen to the story opposed to watching it unfold. Even more rare is that I would watch the opening credits, but the program Ghost Whisper's credits had me fascinated from start to finish. I always wondered about them and who created them. It would take me years to finally unearth the artist and her "wonderland" of imagery. Though the images are dreamlike in nature Taylor they are not all just pretty pictures that are easy for the viewer to take in, in fact, many of them are very dark and unsettling. Taylor describes her work in this way: "I don't want to just make things that are pretty. My images are dreamlike, but not all dreams are good- some are bad, some are funny. I want my images to mean different things to different people, to make the viewer feel or imagine something new." (Adobe "Success")

Taylor was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1961 and moved to Florida during her adolescents. In 1983 she earned her BA in philosophy from Yale University and later her Masters in Photography from University of Florida.(Taylor & Lanoue) Early in her photography career she used a 4x5 view camera and natural light to photograph her menagerie of found objects. However, Taylor was growing frustrated with the expense and finality of working with film. After Photoshop approached artist husband Jerry Uelsmann asking him to evaluate the program, Maggie was the one who fell in love. (Adobe "Insights") She told photoshop.com about the moment in an interview; Maggie stated it as:

"My growing frustration with that method of working actually kind of coincided with Adobe sending a "digital evangelist" to our house to set up a computer for my husband because they wanted him to try creating some images using Photoshop. But instead of Jerry falling in love with the software, I did. Right away I started scanning objects in order to have some imagery to work with quickly to explore the different tools and options. All sorts of small 3-dimensional things fit on my flatbed scanner with the top ajar. Today, I have flat-file drawers, walls, and shelves full of old photographs and found artifacts." (Adobe "Insights")

Later in the same article Taylor goes on to describe how she works on a concept from start to finish:

"When I begin working on a new image, I don’t have an endpoint in mind and I try to stay open to accidental discoveries. It can be a little daunting at first, so I often start by scanning and retouching just to get the feel of an image. Some days it seems like nothing is that exciting, and nothing is working visually. I try adding a number of different objects or backgrounds until something resonates or sparks an idea. Then, when I have a direction in mind, I work away for days and even weeks refining and editing. That is the fun part — once I know I’m working on something I like. Eventually, before making a proof print, I go through hundreds of layers in Photoshop, turning them on and off to see what’s absolutely necessary or what needs help. Mostly, I use the basic masks, layers, and blend modes to put things together. I love that feeling of coming up with something new, something I like, but it’s also exciting knowing that everything is still totally malleable."

Taylor creates all the images, for the most part, not using a traditional camera. Instead, as mentioned before she uses a flatbed scanner, pastels on paper (which are later scanned, vintage photos, antiques, found objects and lastly a point-and-shoot camera to gather other elements, such as clouds and water. She defined the process in an interview with PhotoTech Magazine: (Schranz)

"In the first phase of working on a new image, I usually just begin with an old photograph or object that I have scanned and need to retouch. After a period of hours or days spent refining and retouching, I am ready to move on to trying different elements within the composition. This can be done easily by adding other objects I have scanned, as well as digital snapshots that I keep from various trips. I do not really know what the finished image is going to look like, and I like to keep an open mind. Many times things have happened by accident−turning on and off some layers or changing the blend mode of a layer might create an interesting visual cue that leads me to try something else. Once I reach a point where I know that I want to keep certain elements in the image, it becomes a matter of editing, refining and playing with the tone and colors. The color is often the last thing that I spend time adjusting, even as I am making proofs of the image and seeing how it looks on paper. There are usually several color variations of an image before I make a final decision."

What I find so fascinating about Taylor's work is the nostalgia aspect, each item has a story to tell and you are left wondering what else could be going on. For example, the image titled "The Burden of Dreams" has within it a rabbit, hidden within the objects on the man's mind. As the viewer, I am left to wonder what the encounter with this rabbit was, that was so profound to warrant the burdensome dream. Then I see another, most likely unrelated, image of a rabbit and wonder is this the rabbit on his mind? or is it some other rabbit. What transpired between them to create this story. So, each image is telling a story, but the story does not end within the image. Therein lies the key to enjoying Taylors work, it is an enigma, wrapped in a conundrum for the mind of the viewer to feast upon.

I love that she works her images with in a square format that contain frames within frames. The layers of foreground, background and middle ground al seem to be easier to take in as a result of these creative choices. The colors of her works are vibrant yet muted at the same time. Which only add to the mysterious dream like qualities of the work. I will confess, the stories still bewilder me. I'm not sure that I "get it," but I love it. There is always something new to see even if you have looked at an image for a very long time.

Work Cited

Adobe. "Success Story: Maggie Taylor-Dream weaver." Adobe 2004. Print.

"Insights and Ideas from Maggie Taylor, Adobe® Photoshop® User." Photoshop.com. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Lanoue, Susan & Mark. "LANOUE FINE ART - Paintings, Sculpture, Prints - Boston, MA." LANOUE FINE ART - Paintings, Sculpture, Prints - Boston, MA. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.

Schranz, Paul. "Small Worlds Possible: An Interview with Maggie Taylor." Photo Tech Magazine. Photo Tech, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.

Taylor, Maggie. ":: Maggie Taylor :: Bio." Maggie Taylor. Maggie Taylor, 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Verve Gallery of Photography. "Maggie Taylor Artist Video." Vimeo. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <https://vimeo.com/72831294>.