Joy Taylor's still life paintings offer a contemporary interpretation of Nature, capturing its dynamic energy and relentless beauty. While the genre traditionally brings Nature indoors for closer observation, Taylor’s work presents a world where life is anything but still—flowers possess agency, and Nature drives the action with an unstoppable force.

Deeply connected to rural upstate New York, where she lives and works, Taylor draws inspiration from the subtle shifts in local plants and animals, as well as the changing seasons. Her art explores this relationship through various mediums, including collage, sculpture, and drawing, with a primary focus on painting. Taylor’s work has earned her several accolades, including a NYFA Painting Fellowship in 2015, multiple residencies at Women’s Studio Workshop, and a Pollock-Krasner grant in 1991.

Her creative process is intuitive and spontaneous—Taylor begins each painting directly on the canvas, inventing as she goes, without preliminary sketches. She seeks to capture the unique, pulsing energy of every plant, from the humblest weed to the delicate dogwood blossom, imbuing her paintings with vitality and life. Represented by Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica, Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington, and Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, Taylor’s work radiates the same energy that first captivated her when she moved to the countryside.