Taylor White Returns with Homeroom Prints + Original Art

1xRUN Thru Interview
Homeroom by Taylor White

1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, is the original still for sale?
Taylor White:  This piece was an experimental marriage of digital and analogue techniques. It was reborn from a pile of old sketches I had made two years ago during preparations for my ‘Base Nature’ solo show in Melbourne, but it never saw the light of day. Good thing, too, as I was able to resurrect it and make it even better than it would have been had it been painted two years ago. I have the original gouache painting available here on 1xRUN with some other original works as well.

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1xRun: Can you tell us about the Base of Nature show this was a part of?
Taylor White: The piece had originally been considered as part of my solo exhibition ‘Base Nature,’ held a couple of years ago when I lived in Melbourne. At the time the schoolboy theme didn’t quite mesh with the motifs that were coming out during the process of making that body of work, so I scrapped the idea. However, I’ve always thought that image to be quite a powerful and succinct representation of how I always felt about being in school, so it was always in the back of my mind as something to re-explore.

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1xRUN: What materials did you use to create this piece?
Taylor White: I painted the original monochromatically using gouache and acrylic, before taking the piece into Photoshop for colorful enhancement. It was a lot of fun, because I hadn’t used Photoshop to create a finished piece in quite a long time. I had a great time re-exploring colors and techniques that I couldn’t normally achieve in a manual way. This is the first time I’ve integrated Photoshop for a finished piece in a couple of years.

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1xRun: When was the piece created?
Taylor White: I re-birthed this idea just about a month ago.

1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Taylor White:  I had a done the sketch for this piece about two years ago but it never came to fruition. When I was exploring ideas for new pieces earlier this year I became inspired to resurrect it from the ashes and sculpt it into the piece you see here. The image harkens back to a time of deep scholastic frustration, something to which I think every creative youth can relate.

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1xRun: How long did the piece take?
Taylor White: It took about an hour to paint, and then a couple days to work out the details.

1xRun: What is unique about this piece?
Taylor White: Everything!

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1xRun: Why do you feel people should buy this print?
Taylor White: I think if it speaks to any aspect of your past, present or future, you’ll be into it.

1xRun: Describe this piece in one gut reaction word.

Taylor White: Grunt.

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1xRun: You’re currently based in North Carolina, you recently made the move back from the Australia correct?
Taylor White: Yes. I spent two glorious years living and painting in Melbourne, an experience which I recall fondly on a daily basis. I often wish I were still there, but circumstances and serendipity led me back to my hometown of Raleigh about a year ago. Since then I’ve been setting up a studio and renovating a unit that I hope to one day turn into an artist collective.

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1xRun: Tell us about what you did with some of your time while you were out in Australia?
Taylor White: I had the amazing opportunity to work within the street art scene while I was out there. Shortly after my arrival I got acquainted with Shaun Hossack who owns and operates Juddy Roller, and I was able to do a few projects for him and his cafe. Through my involvement with Just Another Agency I was able to be part of some wonderful events and exhibitions, including the aforementioned solo exhibition ‘Base Nature’ in August 2012. I had the chance to return to Australia last October as the winner of the Stupid Krap Red Book Prize, releasing a print run of my piece ‘Drifter’ in conjunction with the Analog/Digital conference in Adelaide. I did some massive collaborations while I was there, including one with Mik Shida, Two One and Eno which remains a favorite of mine.

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1xRun: What have you been up to since your move back?
Taylor White: I’ve acquired a former coal yard in Boylan Heights which contains two units, one of which I’ve inhabited myself and the other I’m in the process of renovating. The latter I intend to offer to local artists as a creative space and eventually form a type of collective, but I’m still working out the concept. There is an awful lot of potential to merge an assortment of passions into a vibrant force of artistic resonance. I look forward to seeing what can be made of it with a little collaboration.

1xRun: Any new artists or old favorites that have been inspiring you to push yourself?
Taylor White: Andrew Hem recently followed me on Instagram, which I consider a career highlight.

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1xRun: Where can we find people find you?
Taylor White:FacebookTwitter + Instagram @taylurk

 -1xRUN