Artist Statement

My hand-painted manipulated photographs depict slices of objects and locations that I embellish, playing on what is perceived and what is not. The images convey a serendipitous push and pull between reality and fantasy. In reviewing the 2000 solo show at the Steven Scott Gallery, Tracie Taylor Manipulated Hand-Painted Photographs 1985-2000, Caroline Saffer wrote in the Johns Hopkins News-Letter, “in addition to the masterful and inventive craftsmanship of Taylor's photographs, the works in themselves could be considered a multimedia exploration of black-and-white photography, color photography, painting and even collage. In manipulating the photographs themselves and what is represented within them, the artist has created her own segue from reality. An exciting demonstration of the endless possibilities in the art of photography.” In the text by Chief Curator Jordana Pomeroy accompanying the 2006 exhibit, Vistas and Visions: Selected Landscapes from the Permanent Collection at the National Museum of Women in the Arts “Tracie Taylor continues the exploration of landscape photography, modifying her prints with oils and stencils to transform actual environments into fantastical constructions.”

Since 2011 all new images are digitally captured and printed versus using analog processes (film and darkroom). Digital technology allowed me to expand to a larger size, cease using and disposing of chemicals and stop using an enormous amount of water. The descriptions read Painted B&W Silver Print designating analog or Painted B&W Digital Print using digital technology. Each image is still considered one of a kind, hand painted with oils, and limited to an edition of 20 unique variants. All of the analog images are manipulated by turning positive areas of the photograph into negative ones utilizing an amberlith hand-cut film stencil during the printing process. The digital images are manipulated using photoshop. The negative areas are always intentionally left without color.

The structural quality of the objects is what first attracted me to my first series, “Fair Rides” I chose not to photograph the individual ride as a whole, but to fill the space with close ups, zeroing in on parts and details. The linear design elements added to the surface of the photograph appear to float, dissect and divide space. S.K. List explained, “Tracie K. Taylor makes complex, fine tuned manipulations on one marvelous hulk of a motorcycle,” in reviewing Unrestricted Color, “Content, Color and Process”, The Ithaca Times, February 10, 1983.

The Mini Golf Series are landscape fantasies. The objects within the landscape are manufactured miniature versions of manmade and/or natural objects, replicas that imitate the object reduced in size. It is very important not to allow actual people to venture within the frame. This would give immediate recognizable scale, which I am trying to avoid. The figurative elements are added to instill a humorous and surreal quality to the subject.

The Machine Abstract Series are ambiguous parts and details of three dimensional objects found at salvage and junk yards. When photographed they become a two dimensional system of pattern and design. The surfaces are illuminated by stark contrasts of highlights and shadows. The once dull and mundane used parts are embellished with intense hues of unrealistic color.

Gardening and appreciating other manmade landscapes is one of my favorite pastimes. The Garden Series photographs include both close up details and larger views. Whimsical icons are added for the viewer to search and find. My bold and bright choices of color as in all my work help to provide a mirage of what is real.

In the Hakata and Geisha Dolls Series the Japanese clay dolls were originally purchased as souvenirs by servicemen after World War II. A Naval Officer’s daughter I fondly remember the porcelain, usually male Hakatas, dad brought home. There is only one, from my dad’s travels, that survived three children but luckily there were enough made in mass that they can still be found. The Geisha Dolls made of fabric and assorted embellishments, if purchased with the glass case, can still be found in new condition. But without the glass case many have yellowed and/or disintegrated over the years. Both the Hakata and Geisha dolls are still mass produced today but the craftsmanship is not what it was. I’ve been fortunate to build my own collection from antique malls and yard sales. To photograph them I place them in the garden and put the camera at an angle to suggest they are much larger than their actual size of 8” to 16”. I hope to capture their individual characteristics that borders cartoon and reality.

Taylor’s photo-paintings are in the collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD; Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond, VA; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD; WJZ-TV-13, Baltimore, MD, and numerous other corporate and private collections. In 2000 her work was included in “Gardener's Delight” and in 2006 in “Vistas and Visions: Selected Landscapes from the Permanent Collection” both at National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. Her photographs were chosen for two “Current Works,” juried exhibitions in 1992 and 2001, at the Society for Contemporary Photography in Kansas City, MO. She has participated in over seventy shows at Steven Scott Gallery two of which were solo exhibitions in 1990 and 2000. Publications include The Official Marshall’s Handcoloring Guide and Gallery, The Tools & Techniques of Handcoloring Using Marshall’s Materials and Handcoloring Photographs, How to Create Color Images from Black and White Photographs, and "Handcoloring Photographs," by James McKinnis. Steven Scott Gallery has represented the artist since it’s opening in 1988.

Tracie Taylor was born in Oakland, California in 1957. Her family lived in California and Hawaii before settling in McLean, VA. She moved to Richmond, VA where she received her B.F.A in Textiles at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1978 and her M.F.A in Photography/Film also at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983. Taylor is enjoying retirement from higher education first as Faculty/Administrative Director of Virginia Commonwealth University's Photography and Film Program and concluding as an administrator at University of Richmond’s Art and Art History Department. The extra time provides many additional hours to spend in the studio.

TRACIE TAYLOR RESUME

COLLECTIONS

Museums/Galleries

  • Academy Art Museum, Easton MD
  • Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, University of Maryland Baltimore County.
  • National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC

Corporate Collections

  • Andersen Consulting, Reston, VA
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield, Richmond, VA
  • Central Carolina Bank, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Commonwealth Gas, Richmond, VA
  • Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond, VA
  • First Quadrant, Pasadena, CA
  • Group W Television, Baltimore, MD
  • James River Corporation, Richmond, VA
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital, Oncology Center; Baltimore, MD
  • Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA
  • Littler, Mendelson, Fastiff and Tichy, Attorneys at Law; Baltimore, MD
  • Medical College of Virginia, Gateway Building; Richmond, VA
  • MuniMae Financial, Baltimore, MD

EXHIBITIONS (Solo shows marked by an asterisk)

  • 2023
  • A PLACE IN THE SUN: 35TH ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD

  • LEISURE AND LABOR: SELECTIONS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION. Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD

  • SIMPLY PHOTOGRAPHY. Artwork Inc. Richmond, VA
  • TRACIE TAYLOR: Manipulated Hand-Painted Photographs 1983-2023 Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2022
  • BOTH SIDES NOW: CLOUDS IN CONTEMPORARY ART: A TRIBUTE TO JONI MITCHELL. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • SELECTIONS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION. Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
  • 2021
  • SUMMER PLEASURES: 33RD ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2014
  • SUMMER SELECTIONS 2014: 26th ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD

  • 2013
  • REGARDING NATURE: 25th ANNIVERSARY SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION (Part Two). Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2012
  • SUMMER PLEASURES: 24th ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2011
  • SUMMER PLEASURES: 23rd ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2010
  • PHOTOGRAPHY INVITATIONAL. Craddock-Terry Gallery, Riverviews Artspace, Lynchburg, VA.
  • THE LONG HOT SUMMER: 22nd ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION, Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2009
  • ARTIST / GARDENER: Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • REGARDING NATURE. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD

  • 2008
  • IN FULL BLOOM. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2007
  • LAND/SEA/AIR: RECENT ATMOSPHERIC VISTAS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • THE GOOD EARTH. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • REGARDING NATURE. Gordon Center for Performing Arts, Owings Mills, MD
  • 2005
  • ARTIST/GARDENER. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD.
  • VIEWS ON LANDSCAPE: SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2004
  • NEW HORIZONS: SIXTEENTH ANNUAL SUMMER GROUP EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • REGARDING NATURE. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2003
  • LAND ESCAPES: 15TH ANNUAL SUMMER EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • WINTER SELECTIONS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • THE FEMALE FACTOR: 15TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2002
  • THE LONG HOT SUMMER. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2001
  • CURRENT WORKS 2001. Society for Contemporary Photo, Kansas City, MO, Curator Steven Yates. Photo included on exhibition CD-Rom catalog
  • IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: CARS AND OUR CULTURE. Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA. Curator Diana L. Blanchard Gross. Photo included in exhibition brochure
  • ASPECTS OF LOVE. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • THE GREAT OUTDOORS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • STORMY WEATHER. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • TWO CIRCLES MEETING IN THE MIDDLE. Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center, Glen Allen, VA
  • 2000
  • *TRACIE TAYLOR: MANIPULATED, HAND-PAINTED PHOTOGRAPHS 1985-2000. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • GARDENER’S DELIGHT. The National Museum of Women in the Arts. Washington, DC
  • NEW MILLENNIUM/NEWLY ACQUIRED WORKS BY GALLERY ARTISTS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD

  • 1999
  • A PLACE IN THE SUN. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • *INDUSTRIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS. Main Exposure Gallery, Richmond, VA
  • *Tracie Taylor. Philip Morris Corporation, Richmond, VA
  • 1998
  • 1708 Gallery 8th ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION. 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA. Juror Ivan Karp
  • PAINTERLY BRAVURA. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • WORD AND IMAGE. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 1997
  • VACATION SPOTS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 1708 GROUP SHOW. Wella Manufacturing, Richmond, VA
  • 1996
  • VSPA PORTFOLIO EXHIBIT. Charles Taylor Arts Center, Hampton, VA
  • VSPA FOLIO EXHIBITION. Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA
  • 1995
  • CAMERA CONCEPTS. Cudahy's Gallery, Richmond, VA,
  • REGARDING WOMEN. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 1994
  • PENINSULA FINE ART CENTER JURIED EXHIBITION 1994. Peninsula Fine Art Center. Newport News, VA
  • 1993
  • OPEN EXHIBITION 1993. C&P Gallery, Community Cultural Center Annandale, VA. Juror Virginia Mecklenburg
  • 1992
  • PENINSULA FINE ARTS CENTER JURIED EXHIBITION 1992. Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News VA. Juror Neal Benezra Chief Curator, Hirshhorn Museum Washington, DC. Photograph in exhibition catalog
  • CURRENT WORKS 1992. Society for Contemporary Photography, Kansas City, MO. Juror Keith Davis, Chief Curator, Art Collection, Hallmark Inc
  • 1991
  • 1708 MAIN GALLERY JURIED EXHIBITION. 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA. Juror Marilyn Zeitlin, Director of Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
  • THE NEW ROMANTICISM. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD

  • 1990
  • *TRACIE TAYLOR: RECENT PHOTO-PAINTINGS. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • CHILDS PLAY. Photo Art Gallery, Burbank, CA
  • IN THE GARDEN. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • WOMEN BY WOMEN. Puchong Gallery, New York, NY. Photos in exhibition catalog
  • MEN BY WOMEN. Puchong Gallery, New York, NY. Photos in exhibition catalog
  • MIDWEST PHOTOGRAPHY INVITATIONAL V. Curator Karon Winzenz Curator of Art, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Traveling Exhibition. Photograph in exhibition catalog Luther College, Decorah, IA; Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN; University Art Gallery Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
  • 1989
  • MIDWEST PHOTOGRAPHY INVITATIONAL V. University of Wisconsin; Green Bay, WI. Curator Karon Winzenz Curator of Art, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Traveling Exhibition. Photograph in exhibition catalog. Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI; West Bend Gallery of Fine Arts, West Bend, WI; Kresge Art Museum Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Elan Gallery, Bismark, ND; Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, Portsmouth, OH; Emison Art Center Depauw University, Greencastle, IN
  • LAND/SEA/AIR. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • PHOTOWORK 89. Mid-Hudson Arts and Science Center, Poughkeepsie, NY. Juror Catherine Evans Assistant Curator, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
  • 1988
  • 1988 INAUGURAL EXHIBITION. Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • HAMPTON BAY DAYS: JURIED ART SHOW. Hampton, VA. Juror Judith O’Sullivan, Acting Assistant Director, Museum Programs; Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
  • HOMAGE TO MAN RAY. Puchong Gallery, New York, NY
  • 1987
  • IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE. Center Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC. Juror Joseph Shannon
  • ALTERED VISIONS. 1708 Art Space, Richmond, VA. Curator Anne Savedge
  • 1986
  • PHOTOGRAPHY BY 10. Cudahy's Art Gallery, Richmond, VA
  • 1985
  • *TRACIE TAYLOR PHOTO PAINTINGS. Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
  • JURIED EXHIBITION 1985. Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA. Curator Lisa Dennison, Assistant Curator, Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
  • 1984
  • *SECOND GLANCE. MFA Thesis Exhibition, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • CRAFT HOUSE ’84. Hand Workshop, Richmond, VA
  • THE TREDEGAR IRON WORKS EXHIBITION II. Federated Arts Council of Richmond Inc, Richmond, VA. Jurors Jeff Donaldson, Professor, Department of Art, Howard University and Peter Schjeldahl, Contributing Editor to Art in America and Vanity Fair
  • 1983
  • UNRESTRICTED COLOR. Handwerker Gallery, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY. Curators Danny Guthrie and Monte H. Gerlach
  • THE AMERICAN ANNUAL WORKS ON PAPER EXHIBITION ’83. Zaner Gallery, Rochester, NY Juror Jane Livingston Associate Director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
  • CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS II. Albuquerque United Artists, Albuquerque, NM. Jurors Judith Golden, Sandy Hume, and Anne Noggle. Full-page photo in exhibition catalog
  • THE LIGHT FACTORY NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION. The Light Factory, Charlotte, NC. Juror Jerald Maddox Reference Photography Specialist, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
  • NATIONAL JIGSAW PUZZLE CHAMPIONSHIPS. The Dairy Barn, Athens, OH. Hallmark Cards Corporate Sponsor

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books and Magazines

  • Dowell, Carl, "Final Frame," Darkroom Photography Magazine, Melrose Publications, July/August l986. Full-page photo with accompanying article/bio.
  • McKinnis, James, Handcoloring Photographs, Amphoto Books, 1994. Two photographs published with accompanying article/bio.
  • Schaub, Grace and George, The Official Marshall's Handcoloring Guide and Gallery. G&G Schaub Publishers, 1999. Two photographs published with accompanying article/bio.
  • Senti, Richard, "Looking Back," Darkroom Photography Magazine. Melrose Publications, February l988. Full-page photo with accompanying article/bio.

REVIEWS

  • Saffer, Caroline. “Carnival and Kitsch at Steven Scott Gallery,” The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, October 12, 2000. Photo and article.
  • List, S.K. “Content, Color and Process,” The Ithaca Times, February 10, 1983. Article.
  • Merritt, Robert. “Some Manipulate, Some Represent,” The Richmond Times Dispatch, February 14, 1986. Photo and article.
  • “Medium’s Creative Possibilities Explored by Three Photo Exhibits,” The Richmond Times Dispatch, February 23, 1986. Photo and article.

SPECIAL AWARDS AND OTHER HONORS

  • 1994
  • PARTNERS IN THE ARTS. Sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts, collaboration with 4th Grade Teacher Beverly Ziegler, Elizabeth Holladay Elementary School, Henrico County, VA
  • 1992
  • PENINSULA FINE ARTS CENTER JURIED EXHIBITION 1992, Award of Achievement Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
  • 1987
  • IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE, Juror’s and Purchase Award (Central Carolina Bank). Center Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
  • 1983
  • Contemporary Photographs II, Jurors Award. Albuquerque United Artists, Albuquerque, NM

EDUCATION

  • MFA Photography and Film, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 1985
  • B.F.A. Crafts, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 1978