Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Studio Visit: Behind the Scenes with Taylor McKimens

Shortly after his last solo show in February, we had a chance to visit Taylor McKimens' studio in Brooklyn. The show, which was organized by his long-time supporters, Bright Lyons, featured a collection of commissioned paintings that were created during the last seven years. Not only was this McKimens's first New York show in a long time, but it was a significant milestone in his career. After years of exhibiting across the world through Deitch Projects, the California-born artist is looking to move on to a new chapter.

Shortly after his last solo show in February, we had a chance to visit Taylor McKimens’ studio in Brooklyn. The show, which was organized by his long-time supporters, Bright Lyons, featured a collection of commissioned paintings that were created during the last seven years. Not only was this McKimens’s first New York show in a long time, but it was a significant milestone in his career. After years of exhibiting across the world through Deitch Projects, the California-born artist is looking to move on to a new chapter.

Growing up in a small town on the California-Mexico border, McKimens was always influenced by the dilapidated artifacts of Americana. Though he has been based in New York for the past 10 years, his old and new work includes everyday scenes from the deserted, countryside suburbs in which he grew up. His aesthetic is influenced by badly printed, DIY zines and flyers, as well. In his work, imperfect lines clash with bright, neon colors, and these elements interact in unpredictable ways.

Currently, McKimens is contemplating new approaches to create his forthcoming body of work. He plans on making a series of pieces using the same source image, incorporating different colors, backgrounds, and effects to alter each version. When we visited his studio, he was beginning to experiment with this concept in his sketchbook and on a few canvases. Usually based on his friends as well as ancient Greek busts and statues, his characters are hard to place in any time or space. The addition of bright colors contrasting with their unimpressed expressions is a tension he has always sought to reinforce in his work. Juxtaposing rich line work with rough fill-ins and loose, translucent brush strokes, his techniques make his work stand out and capture the observer’s attention.

Along with these portraits, McKimens recently returned to his sculptural wire and paper pieces — an extension of his early comic drawings. These thick, cactus-like plants represent the same appeal he is striving for in his 2D work: They are imperfect and unpredictable, scarred by the unfriendly environment. Yet they keep growing and blooming, alluding to the power of nature. Time-consuming to create, the artist stopped making these sculptures for a while, but recently found a solution that will hopefully enable him to continue to create these 3D manifestations of his floral drawings.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Minimal and quiet, Brian Robertson’s artworks seem to be both a homage to cubism and other various abstract art movements, and to our curious obsession with space and the universe. Going against typical physiognomy, the LA-based artist dissembles people and objects with clean acrylic shapes and lines juxtaposed with controlled dashes of spray paint. Looking closer, you’ll also notice that various portals appear in his work — a black hole doorway to a starry universe, a triangular cut-out through which a blue line travels — perhaps a commentary on the loneliness of the human condition and the vast wonder of the universe. On a more humorous level, Robertson names every one of his people or objects with tongue-in-cheek titles such as Mr Pot-Head Worm-Mouth or Mr Yellow-Brick Shit-House.
Damon Soule’s dazzling, psychedelic mixed-media work has seen major evolutions during the past 20 years. In a new retrospective show at Mirus Gallery in Denver, we see those progressions in vivid detail. The show runs Oct. 6 through Nov. 14 at the gallery. Soule was the cover artists for Hi-Fructose Vol. 17.
Argentinian artist Francisco Diaz (aka Pastel) uses a distinct visual language in his murals. He fills his walls with patterns based on the local flora of the area he's painting in — an effective way to connect with the communities he encounters in his travels. His botanical references often address history, geography, society, and politics. Along with these nature-based elements, Pastel often paints ancient, Stone Age tools to glorify humanity's strength without referencing a specific culture. His distinct yet decorative style lends itself well to collaborations with other street artists, such as Pixel Pancho and Agostino Iacurci, who both worked with Pastel recently.
Jamian Juliano-Villani, known for stirring acrylic paintings packed with dark humor and sprawling references, offers new works in a show at Massimo De Carlo London titled "Let's Kill Nicole." She offers both new paintings and sculptures in the display, which runs through Sept. 21. Juliano-Villani's work is known for pulling in a variety of familiar imagery from fashion, illustration, and other industries, with conversations emerging over what constitutes referencing versus appropriation. “Everything is a reference,” she’s insisted.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List