Maggie Taylor

Creating this work is a learning experience which I begin with few preconceived notions about the look of the finished photograph. Rather than working with a definite theme or philosophical construct in mind, I prefer to work intuitively with the objects themselves. In my studio I have drawers and shelves filled with all kinds of objects and pieces of text. Usually I have sorted and arranged a few things indoors before taking them outside into the yard where I photograph them with an old camera and natural light. I often work spontaneously, incorporating things which I find in my garden on that particular day. While the images suggest narratives, they allow the viewer to respond on an individual basis. I wish the viewer to experience a convergence of factual memory and fictional daydream similar to my own internal dialogue in creating the work. There are as many different interpretations of the photographs as there are viewers. These images are my attempt to unravel the ways in which my thoughts, memories and dreams intermingle. My hope is for the work to be both playful and disturbing.

These computer-generated images begin as a collection of individual objects and backgrounds which I scan into my computer one at a time using a flat-bed scanner instead of a camera. I assemble the collage-like image in the computer over a period of days using the Adobe Photoshop program, and make a series of small proof prints at home while I am working. When I have completed the image I send the digital image files to be printed on an Iris printer. The Iris is a printer which sprays something like four million droplets of ink per second onto a spinning drum which holds the print paper. A variety of papers can be used--I have been using a fine art water color paper called Somerset. The environmentally sensitive inks are applied in droplets the size of a human blood cell with complete accuracy. Through a series of proofs and dialog with the person making the prints, I am able to ensure that the final print comes as close to the image I have seen on my computer monitor.

For more information about the paintings, you may call:

(806) 371-5267