Visual artist Paige Taylor likes to do things unconventionally. Despite recently earning features in two Island art shows, she doesn’t take classes to learn the rules of color mixing, or even bother with paintbrushes and palettes.
Instead, Ms. Taylor, who has cerebral palsy, likes to put on her favorite music, head to the computer and open up Photoshop.
Though art had long felt out of her reach while growing up, Ms. Taylor, a Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School graduate, now uses technology to create avant-garde contemporary art, distorting photos to the point where they resemble paintings.
There’s no shortage of drama and flamboyance in her work. Drawn most to bright pinks, purples and blues, and theatrical geometric patterns, Ms. Taylor strives to make art that can catch eyes from across a room.
“I don’t like doing anything the traditional way,” she said. “Everyone says that you’re not supposed to warp your photos and turn your photos green or whatever. But I’m going to do that anyway because I think it looks cool.”
With her fine motor skills limited, making art in the more traditional way was a challenge to Ms. Taylor. But as a teen, she began taking photos and toying with them, using editing software and pushing the boundaries, while playing her favorite music.
Now 25 and living in Boston, Ms. Taylor is still jamming out at the computer and landed her artwork in a pair of shows with established Vineyard artists. Four of her pieces are currently on display at the Edgartown Council on Aging’s Anchors building. Her art shares space there with the work of Oak Bluffs artist Jack Ryan through the end of June.
Some of her pieces in the show are meant to reflect her love of fashion and feminism, Ms. Taylor said.
“I like [clothing] that’s very bold and stunning,” she said. “I want my work to display power and feminine beauty. It should be chaotic but also graceful at the same time.”
In other pieces, Ms. Taylor lets her music drive her style.
“Whatever I listen to is indicative of the colors I use,” she said. “Or if I hear a word [singers] keep repeating or a vocal phrase, I will somehow interpret that in my art. I’ve been listening to a lot of Ethel Cain lately. Her music is dark and moody and I just feel compelled by it.”
Earlier this spring, Ms. Taylor had her artwork up at the West Tisbury Library, a place she used to frequent while growing up. Her art was paired with that of Fan Ogilvie, a former West Tisbury poet laureate.
Now with cameos in two art shows under her belt, Ms. Taylor plans to keep building her portfolio, with hopes of finding her way into more Island galleries.
“Because of my disability I’ve sort of had to figure out my own ways of doing stuff all my life,” she said. “Everyone has been really receptive to all the artwork I’ve done, which is really wonderful.”
