Like a hazy nightmare, the artwork of Taylor DeMille blends surrealism with realism. The portraits from her most recent series, Box Of Memories, are haunting representations of forgotten souls who were once captured on film. With minimal colour and wide, messy paint strokes, she paints her characters pain clearly across the canvas, but leaves the intricate details of their lives to the viewer’s interpretation. Her sketches, which bring to mind the chaotic scribbles of Tim Burton, are equally riddled with human expressions of pain, apathy, and melancholia. If there’s one thing this artist does well, it’s capturing the harsher side to human nature, bringing out the haunting darkness we try so hard to keep covered up.
Who are you and what sort of art do you create?
My name is Taylor DeMille, I’m based out of Durham Region, Ontario. I paint portraits.
How and when did you first get into art?
I’ve enjoyed art since I can remember. My mother went to art school when she was younger; it’s something that has just come natural to me.
What normally inspires your work? Where do you get your ideas for creating the art that you do?
The majority of my sketchbook consists of human faces, figures, and features. It’s what I find most consistently interesting and unique. It will never become boring to me. People are all around you (sometimes unfortunately), but it just means that I’ll never run out of faces to depict.
What sort of environment do you create your art in?
I like to paint alone and uninterrupted. Diva. I’ll pick a playlist to suit my mood and get started. My go-to painting playlists are full of ambient and chillwave music and sounds.
What is your favourite piece of art that you have created and why?
My favourite piece is my Ms. Mouthless portrait. She is part of my Box Of Memories project. I feel like she, ironically, says more without a mouth than she would with one. She really leaves it up to you to decide what she’s all about and what she has to say.
What artists or works do you admire and inspire you?
I tend to favour modern artists, like Roberta Coni and Michał Janowski, who are both portrait painters. I also take inspiration from the works of photographer Diane Arbus, who had profound influence on the aesthetic of The Shining. I’m also a fan of Edward Gorey, who was known for his pen-and-ink illustrations.
Are there any art techniques that you particularly enjoy?
I tend to work in “alla prima”, which means, “wet on wet”. I mostly use acrylic, so it sort of becomes a race against time as acrylic paints tend to dry fast. I’ve tired using retarder in past to postpone the drying process, but I find myself spending too much time on certain sections that way. I like my end result to look messy, sort of in a state of movement or haze, and I achieve that best when I don’t have much time to think about the little details. For the most part, I paint portraits with my fingers and use a few brushes for the final details. Using my fingers make me feel like I have more control over the direction and consistency of the paints. I should say I like to sculpt the paintings with my hands, that it brings me closer to becoming one with my art, but to be honest, I’m a lazy person, and I don’t feel like cleaning and switching between brushes all day long. I work fast and loose with my paint, and using my fingers helps me to get where I want to go with the work faster.
What was your last project about? Are you currently working on anything?
My last project was the Box Of Memories project I’d mentioned earlier. It was a series of portraits that were reinterpretations of old photographs. The nameless and unknown individuals in the series came from various photographs that were passed down to me through a box of old memories. I didn’t know who these people were, if they had any relation to me, or what happened to them. They were simply faces in the crowd. This series allowed for a level of personal and individual interpretation. Like a photograph, these paintings are mute. They leave their stories and meaning to the individual viewer to decipher for themselves, and as such, breathe life back into the old, forgotten souls portrayed.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
My advice is not to get frustrated when you can’t find your “thing”… or perhaps do get frustrated and try a bunch of things until you do find your “thing”. It’s the cliché phrase – don’t give up!
What’s your favourite movie?
Well I like a lot of films, I can’t just pick one! I love paranormal films; I just can’t resist a good ghost story. I also like period pieces (shows like Vikings and Outlander), I’m always intrigued by dramatic history. I think we can always learn things from people or events from the past.
Connect with Taylor:
GALLERY
