Today we’d like to introduce you to Shan Taylor.
Shan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up as a Houstonian, I was introduced to the Rodeo Art contest in kindergarten. I didn’t win a big prize but my artwork was displayed at a local bank, and to a six years old that was extremely exciting. My aunt Sonja who had a big hand in raising me noticed that the contest had sparked my interest in art, and so she began to feed my love for painting and drawing by frequently taking me on trips to the Texas Art Supply. All throughout grade school art was just to me, simply something I was good at doing or a hobby, I rarely showed anyone the things I would doodle and paint in my spare time.
As I began to mature and life started to happen more and more, I found myself using art as therapy to help me cope through traumatic experiences. My best friend saw a drawing one day and was honestly shocked that I had such an amazing talent that very few people knew about. He encouraged me to post more of my work on social media, eventually I landed a job as a face painter and caricature artist at the downtown aquarium. Being around other artist inspired me and pushed me like never before to practice and perfect my craft, soon after I was invited to several art shows over the last couple of years, and here I am writing an article about myself for a magazine.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Just like anything else worth having, trying to become an established artist has not been easy. I can’t speak for anyone else but as a self-taught artist I struggled a great deal with trying to figure out my style and who I was as an artist. Coupled with that comes discovering the true meaning of a starving artist because art supplies are not cheap lol. I had to take a step back and realize what my true meaning for starting this journey was all about, instead of trying to keep up with my favorite artist on Instagram just to make a quick dollar.
Please tell us about Shan Taylor Art.
Shan Taylor Art is pretty much a jack of all trades, I do a wide range of mediums but my specialty is caricature art. What I am most proud of is my concern and care for others. No matter what medium I’m using my number one goal is to make my supporters feel loved. Just as art has been therapeutic for me, my only hope is that it will do the same for the world. Caricature is meant to make people laugh and be happy, I am a firm believer that laughter is the best medicine.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had the chance to go to art school or take an art course in grade school I would jump at the chance. There is absolutely no shame in being a self-taught artist, although I feel that a more formal training would save me tons of time and wasted art supplies.
Pricing:
- Caricature Events- $100/hr with a minimum of two hours to book.
- Face Paint Events- $80/hr with a minimum of two hours to book.
- Canvas paintings start at $150
Contact Info:
- Phone: 513 237 2932
- Email: shantaylorart@icloud.com
- Instagram: Shantaylorart
- Facebook: Shantaylorart
Image Credit:
Lanique Lindley
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