In Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” Prospero says, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” The quote is often used to underscore the fleeting and insubstantial nature of life, comparing it to a dream. For Kara Taylor, dreams inspire her summer exhibition, “Lucid Dreamer,” where both life and dreams are ephemeral.
Dreamy, blue-drenched celestial paintings cover the walls of Taylor’s gallery, which she opened in 2000. The pieces are rooted in nature, with moonlit woods and fields filling large, small, oval, and rectangular landscapes, carrying us to places just beyond our waking experience.
In her artist statement, Taylor writes that her “quest as an artist is to act as a witness to the transient nature of both literal and metaphorical.” The luminously starred night scenes stem from Taylor’s dreams. “My sleep state is really interesting,” she said. “I have quite amazing dreams that are the inspiration for a lot of my work. I struggle with falling asleep, but when I do, I go on amazing journeys. And I can do what I call lucid dreams — those you can work with. If I’m in an uncomfortable one, I will wake up, and when I fall back to sleep I can go back into that same dream and change the outcome so I’m not in a state of fear.” It is not surprising, then, that each of her pieces is soothing — “almost like a lullaby,” said Taylor.
Animated trees punctuate the moody landscapes, some abstracted as stylized silhouettes up close while others appear distant in a vast, hilly terrain, possibly leading to tranquil water. Stars with mystical halos shimmer in the night sky. Both in dreams and in life, what we perceive is subjective and deeply personal.
Taylor shares that this year she lost two dear friends, and although she doesn’t believe in a deity, she said, “We are all stardust. I feel our souls somehow transfer into something somewhere. Stars are light-years away, yet we see them in a flash.”
This fleeting sense of life pervades Taylor’s landscapes, which are simultaneously tranquil and contemplative, eluding the specificity of her subject matter. Although she grew up on-Island, with rare exceptions the paintings do not depict particular Vineyard locations. “Most are imaginary, out of my head,” Taylor explains.
The ever-present moon does much more than set an otherworldly mood: “The full moon is a feeling. Every animal I’ve ever had, when it’s a full moon, gets a little kooky. I too am very affected by whatever is happening in nature.” Reflecting this magical quality, Taylor’s works transport us to an imaginary realm.
As usual, her mixed-media pieces are alluringly textural, some on wood panels, others on canvas. Taylor builds her surfaces with oil pigments, often adding accents of gold leaf that catch the light and also our eye, pulling us in for a closer view. Textures are even more integral to “Day Moon,” “Wandering Tree,” and “View from Obed Dagget,” where she constructs the landscapes from a fabulous array of fabric and embossed leather that call out to be touched.
Taylor’s alluring works in “Lucid Dreamer” leave us nostalgic for a place, time, or memory that is just out of reach, much like our nighttime reveries. Contemplating what she wants us to walk away with from the show, Taylor sums it up succinctly — “ease” –– reminding us of a good night’s rest.
“Lucid Dreamer” is on view through August 17 at the Kara Taylor Art Gallery at 24 South Road, Chilmark. To learn more, visit Taylor’s website, karataylorart.com.