Artist's Statement
This exhibit is a series of color field paintings that interrogate how meaning arises at the intersection of perception and language. Each work consists of a canvas painted in a dominant color—orange, blue, gray, pink—built up in expressive, layered strokes. Within the field, a single word is inscribed into the paint—marked, pressed, or removed from the surface itself.
In these works, the color becomes the signifier—the immediate sensory field presented to the viewer—while the word functions as the signified, introducing a concept that may align with, contradict, or destabilize the experience of color.
By inverting the traditional relationship between text and meaning, the paintings create a site of semiotic ambiguity. Meaning is not dictated, but discovered through tension and time. The inscribed words hover between presence and absence—often only visible at an angle or in raking light—forcing viewers to engage in an act of visual and cognitive reconciliation.
The series invites both children and adults to reencounter early language systems—color, opposites, and emotional tone—through ambiguity rather than clarity.
Artist's Bio
Richard Taylor is a visual artist drawing inspiration from color theory, language, and physical principles of form. His primary medium is oil and acrylic on canvas. He exhibits widely throughout Utah and has sold work internationally. Taylor holds degrees in physics and materials science.
His art reflects an analytical sensitivity, deep material curiosity, and a conceptual approach shaped by his scientific training. Exhibitions include solo and group shows at the Bountiful Davis Art Center, Springville Museum of Art, Meyer Gallery, and Salt Lake Community College, and others.
