Taylor Pate
Taylor Pate, a figurative painter and native of Appalachia, draws inspiration from this ancient forest chain and its cultural mystique. Each of her works serves as a portal into the rural female experience, challenging stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media. Contrary to the prevailing narrative of hopelessness and isolation often associated with the region, Pate's work offers a different perspective. She illuminates her homeland's energy, spirit, and vibrancy through a palette rich in saturation and luminous light sources. Symbolic motifs like celestial bodies and fantastical creatures undergoing metamorphosis portray facets of girlhood, womanhood, and the transformative journey in between. Under the veil of night, rural landscapes become stages for divinity and danger. Subjects blend with gleaming doe eyes and vicious tongues, narrating the tale of rural female survival through contemporary reinterpretations of traditional Appalachian folktales. The bodies exude a duality of ruggedness and desire that defy conventional beauty standards. Through her work, she hopes to deepen understanding and empathy for the Appalachian woman's experience.
Collect Bean: What does growth mean to you?
Taylor Pate: To me, growth is like molting—an unfolding process where your softness and vulnerability are laid bare. It entails embracing discomfort, becoming intimately familiar with the raw edges of your being, and finding peace within that uneasy state. As you grow, it necessitates embracing the facets of yourself that you're shedding with a gentle empathy, acknowledging the validity of the past, and accepting the ambiguity of the evolving version you're stepping into.
Collect Bean: If you had to describe your work in only three words, what would they be?
Taylor Pate: Melt, float, and shine.
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Taylor Pate: On these winter nights, the sky quickly fades from violet to inky black, and in the darkness, the sound of coyotes howling and yipping echoes from the farm fields behind my home. These tricksters, with their distorted auditory illusion and their gleaming eyes piercing the veil of night, craft for me a realm where imagination and fear entwine, feeding off each other.
It is here, where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary and the boundaries between reality and fantasy fade that I discover inspiration — urged to explore what is hidden, what is magical, and what evocative elements thrive in the shadowy envelope of darkness.
Collect Bean: What is the kindest thing someone can tell you about your work?
Taylor Pate: The kindest thing someone can tell me about my work is that they discover something new each time they look at it. I strive to create pieces that are layered and puzzled, requiring time and care to unravel. My hope is that each artwork remains effective, providing new and exciting elements to uncover with every gaze. I believe what one sees in the work can change based on individual thoughts and feelings, so for people to continue discovering new facets in a piece multiple times is truly the best compliment.
Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?
Taylor Pate: Color plays an important role in my artistic practice and is one of my favorite elements to explore. It serves as a tone-setter, allowing me to establish themes, moods, and settings. I've developed two different color palettes that contribute to the overall atmosphere of my pieces: a vibrant palette and an earth-toned palette.
The vibrant palette, characterized by saturated hues, creates a dreamlike quality in my works. It transports the viewer into a realm of heightened emotions and imaginative states. On the other hand, the earth-toned palette places my paintings within a more grounded and organic realm, maintaining a connection to the tangible world.
By navigating between these two palettes, I aim to evoke different responses and guide viewers through diverse emotional landscapes. Color, in its various tones and saturations, becomes a powerful language through which I convey the essence and narrative of my art.
Collect Bean: Are there any recurring themes or motifs in your art, and if so, what do they represent to you?
Taylor Pate: The night, particularly the stars and moon, is a prominent recurring theme in my work. It embodies the essence of what I aim to convey—spirituality intertwined with danger, loneliness meeting a profound connection to the universe. In the shadows, a figure can morph from dog to man in mere seconds, evoking a sense of mystery and magic. It feels as if I'm granted a solitary moment with the universe, where she speaks to me through the moon. However, there's an ever-present awareness of lurking danger; men hide in the shadows, laying traps. Additionally, the night evokes memories of my childhood. My sister and I had these glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the ceiling of our bedroom, which is why I often incorporate childlike stars into my work.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Taylor Pate: Where I grew up holds immense influence over my work. For a long time I grappled with wanting to distance myself from that part of my identity, but as I've gotten older, I've come to deeply appreciate it. Appalachia is undeniably special, yet so misunderstood. My goal is to create art that instills pride in my community while also showing people outside the region an Appalachia they never knew.
Collect Bean: How do you approach the balance between experimentation and consistency in your art?
Taylor Pate: Balancing experimentation with consistency has been a journey for me. I've learned that experimentation is key to growth, even though it hasn't always been easy. It's tempting to settle into a comfortable pattern, but I've found that once I reach that point, it's time for a change. Currently, I'm exploring both drawing and painting, each in a distinct manner. This diversity in mediums sometimes feels uncomfortable, but I trust that through continued exploration and effort, my style will naturally evolve into its intended form.
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Taylor Pate: At the moment, I'm working on a series of paintings that reimagine fairytales from my childhood. This concept stemmed from a dream, and I'm thoroughly enjoying exploring it. I've found particular inspiration in the book 'Kissing the Witch' by Emma Donoghue.
Collect Bean: If you could be in a show with any artist, who would it be and why?
Taylor Pate: This is a tough call, but I would choose Autumn Wallace. I really admire her work, and the way she captures the fluidity and raw human expression is truly special.
