Intro. Digital Media Art: Maggie Taylor

Maggie Taylor is an artist who was born in 1961 in Cleveland, Ohio. However, Taylor is now living in Gainesville, Florida. She lives with her husband, Jerry Uelsmann, who is a photographer known for using darkroom techniques to create somewhat surreal pieces as well. Maggie Taylor also began her art career as a still-life photographer. She has worked with photography for over ten years. However, her current work primarily consists of digital images. Taylor creates these digital pieces by using a flatbed scanner to scan objects onto a computer. She then manipulates the objects to create composite digital images. She works with many different kinds of objects including vintage toys, sea shells, feathers, dolls, and much more. She finds these artifacts everywhere from online auctions and flea markets, to her own backyard.

Taylor’s work has a strong theatrical overtone. The subjects the in photos often feel as if they are often presented in the foreground. The soft-focused and somewhat dreamy atmospheres give off the feeling of a 19^th century storybook. Her digital work has a very soft and fantasy-like feel. Often, I find that digital work has a somewhat cold or hard feeling. However, Taylor’s work emits a somewhat warmth and cozy feel that can at times be somewhat harder to convey in purely digital works.

The compositions in her pieces feel somewhat clumsy or awkward. However, I feel as if this adds to the charm and endearing aspects of the work. Her mythical and child-like characters are reminiscent of magical childhood stories. Aesthetically, I was drawn to her work because of its very surreal quality. The pieces feel very whimsical, and dream-like. I was also interested in the fact that she is able to create such transformative and magical landscapes with everyday objects. Her work has a very strong painterly overtone. The work has a strong sense of texture that promotes a feeling of depth and dynamic space.