TAYLOR WALKER

Flinging paint is a fun watercolor technique. Taylor Walker has a lively, colorful approach to creating exciting effects that help attain her artistic vision.
This Carmel artist has been making her mark from the moment she could hold a pencil. During her years at Ben Davis High School, Taylor had a very influential art teacher. In Larry Hurt’s advanced art classes, she learned that art, beauty, opportunity and validation were available to her.

After a six-year career in graphic arts, Taylor took a brave leap and decided to give 100 percent of her time and talent to being a full-time freelance artist. In addition to her watercolor work, she creates acrylic murals, colored pencil portraits of people and pets, abstract landscapes, encaustic paintings and greeting card illustrations. She considers herself an Expressionist fine artist and illustrator.

The detail that Renaissance artists gave to their paintings and how they captured contrast and light inspire her. “I’m also very inspired by Monet’s use of color, but obviously I’ve got some Pollock in me, too, because I love some good paint splatter,” says Taylor.

Her love of animals originally steered Taylor to Purdue University to become a vet. It was not long before she discovered her passion was best served by creating art of all creatures great and small. And what better place to start than her local community.

“I believe that my talents are bigger than myself and can support the greater good. Making paintings to support my desire of helping animals is what I was put on this earth to do,” she says.

Taylor deeply and wholeheartedly supports local animal-welfare organizations. She has been a participating artist with the Indianapolis Zoo’s Naturally Inspired Paint Out event, and she donates work to the annual Hamilton County Humane Society’s Tinsel & Tails fundraiser. At the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, she creates portraits of each of the center’s cats, donating the work for an auction.

Taylor applied to Indiana Artisan because she wanted to share her fresh approach to watercolor painting. Having her work carry the official designation of Indiana Artisan is a source of pride, she said, that feels extremely humbling.