TAYLOR SMITH
Steak Dinner w All Fixins text word painting by contemporary artist Taylor Smith.jpg

Text Based Word Paintings - Artworks from the Taylor Smith Studio

Text based word paintings from the studio of artist Taylor Smith. Artist Taylor Smith leans into the art history examples of Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari as she appropriates found art kitsch prints and paintings in thrift shops and online auctions. Smith then transforms the meanings of these vintage artworks by screen printing text over the imagery to create a new meaning.

TEXT-BASED WORD PAINTINGS
Thrift Store Paintings Given New Meaning

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.