TEXT-BASED WORD PAINTINGS
THRIFT STORE PAINTINGS GIVEN NEW MEANING

"3AM At The Waffle House"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated painting of Los Angeles San Fernando Valley with added screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

"Your Eyes Are Intoxicating"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated Bob Ross painting of mountain scene with added screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

"Pay Nothing"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated Bob Ross painting of mountain scene with added screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

"I Am Still Waiting For My Hollywood Ending"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated painting of Los Angeles San Fernando Valley with added screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

"Steak Dinner With All The Fixins"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated painting by Dutch Renaissance painter, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, with added gold leaf skull, fashion logos and screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

"Five Easy Payments"

Mixed Media on wood panel with gloss resin. Appropriated Bob Ross painting of mountain scene with added screen print text by artist Taylor Smith

Exploring the visual language and relationship between art history, words, contemporary phrases, color and humor, Taylor Smith paints and screen prints words and phrases over found artworks that she obtains in thrift stores during her travels and online auction sites. The visual impact of type is sometimes neglected, yet text is an eminently aesthetic form. How does the meaning of a painting change by adding unexpected text over visual artwork? By superimposing quotations and other deadpan sayings over vintage found artworks as diverse as kitschy landscapes or classic golden-age European paintings, Taylor Smith elevates words and text to the status of main subject.

Text-Based Word Paintings