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Kathi Taylor: Artist Kathi is a self-taught artist who began her art career working as an apprentice and then master printer in one of Los Angeles' foremost printmaking and etching studios during the 1980s. This supportive, creative environment and her working relationship with some of Southern California's most successful artists inspired her to pursue her own art. She soon developed a unique style using several printmaking techniques such as collagraph, relief, linoleum, viscosity-resist painting and monoprinting. During this time, she worked with several art dealers and later maintained an exclusive international distribution contract with Winn Corporation (now Winn Devon) of Seattle, Washington. Following a decade of printmaking, her interest shifted towards the computer art field. Working as a graphic designer and digital production artist, she began combining traditional and digital techniques in her work. Most recently, Kathi has been exploring acrylic painting techniques. She spent a year and a half creating a series of new mixed media artwork for an exhibit at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. She recently completed a piece for Children's Hospital Boston, and her new work is now available at L'Attitude Gallery on Newbury Street. For these mixed media images she paints separate wooden pieces using a colorful, acrylic palette and then stitches the pieces together in quilt-like fashion using cotton or satin cording. Her past computer experience is very useful for the preparation of the work. "I'm very comfortable on a computer. It's a powerful tool that can allow an artist to experiment with color and image ideas much faster than using traditional methods. These paintings on wood require many hours of planning and the computer is helpful for the beginning stages. When it's time to paint, I have been exploring various techniques, which include discovering ways to apply printmaking techniques I've used in the past." In addition to acrylic paint, Kathi adds unusual items from match sticks to chopsticks to create unique and exciting mixed media assemblages. "Basically, I've been having a lot of fun revisiting old techniques and discovering new ones, and I hope the work reflects this journey of art exploration." Among Kathi's other recent works are her digitally enhanced photographs. She changes favorite photos to a slightly (or not so slightly) enhanced reality. Encouraged by the response of friends and family, she has decided to make this work available to others. "Although the locations and photos are beautiful by themselves, I can lose myself for hours transforming them to even more intense realities." After spending most of her adult life in Los Angeles, Kathi now lives in Boston. She's a graduate of UCLA with a degree in history and French, and an accomplished musician with a degree in percussion from the Grove School of Music. She has been playing drums professionally for over 25 years, performing in the U.S. and Europe, and currently plays with several bands in the Boston area. She is a member of the South Boston Arts Association as both an artist and musician. Kathi's work is in numerous corporate and private collections, including:
Kathi Taylor: Musician Kathi's music career began in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. She played drums with several local rock bands before joining up with The Mustangs, an all-girl, country rock group with strong songwriters and a big vocal sound. The band was together for several years, performing regularly on the L.A. country roots scene where they often showcased with artists like Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale and Rosie Flores. During their years together, The Mustangs did several recordings, performed in Vegas and on network TV, were nominated "Vocal Group of the Year" by the California Country Music Association, and played South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. While in Austin, they were featured perfomers at the Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Friends show where they shared the stage with Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Lucinda Williams. The Mustangs also had successful European tours including performances at The Powerhaus in London and the famous Roskilde Festival in Denmark where they opened for Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. In addition to her west coast career with The Mustangs and as a successful freelance musician, Kathi was the regular drummer for legendary Cajun accordionist Joe Simien, and a frequent guest drummer for Lisa Haley and the Zydecats. She also performed for the crowned heads of Nashville with the band Way Out West, which earned them a development deal from Sony Records. In 1998, Kathi relocated to Boston with her partner in love and music, Robert Emmet (Bob) Dunlap, a South Boston native and gifted musician. Since their move, they have been involved with various music projects in the Boston area and recently released Bob's first CD of original music, Notes from Home. Not only did Kathi provide the drums, percussion and backing vocals but she also painted the cover art and designed the CD package and website (www.robertemmetdunlap.com). Kathi and Bob are founding members of popular local bands Hogan's Goat and Slocum's Window. Hogan's Goat is a "South Boston Irish" trio with three part vocal harmonies and infectious rhythms driven by Kathi's snare work and traditional Irish drumming on the bodhran. Slocum's Window is an eclectic guitar, bass and drum trio that plays rock and roll, blues, country, some jazz standards and a little Irish on the side. Kathi and Bob also perform as a duo and are preparing for a local "Notes from Home" tour to promote their new CD. A few years ago, Kathi and Bob became the fifth and sixth members of the band Orpheus Reborn, which includes four of the original members of the legendary 60s Boston band, Orpheus, who had the classic hit Can't Find the Time. Kathi plays percussion and drums in the band and contributes to the impressive six-part vocal sound. From the Orpheus Reborn website (www.orpheusreborn.com): "Her skills with a wide range of percussive devices and effect generators add variety and complexity to the group's rhythm structure and instrumental melodic content, her clear alto expands and enhances the vocal arrangements, and her very presence helps to keep the group's "rowdy side" in check. In addition to being a world-class musician that has toured internationally, Kathi is also an accomplished fine artist, and has lent these considerable talents to the creation of the group's collateral material." As a Boston and Los Angeles freelance musician, Kathi has played a variety of musical styles - rock, blues, Cajun, Zydeco, country, jazz and Irish. Recently, she has been an in-demand drummer on the Somerville, MA roots music scene, both live and in the studio. Artists she has performed with locally include the Patsy Hamel Band, the Tom Hagerty Band, Johnnie Mac, Attention Shoppers, Dig in the Dirt, and Nashville singer/songwriter Teddy Larkin. Kathi recorded with four bands on the Song for Sally compilation CD - a collection of 13 bands who perform regularly at Sally O'Brien's pub in Somerville. Other recent CD releases Kathi performed on include Bailed Out by Johnnie Mac and One Moment In Time by Patsy Hamel. During her active L.A. art and music careers, Kathi attended the Grove School of Music in Van Nuys and received a degree in drums and percussion. She also had the honor of studying drums privately for several years with Kay Carlson, a legend in her own right and a wonderful teacher, mentor and friend. Kay has been an inspirational teacher to many aspiring and successful drummers in the Los Angeles area. |
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| Thanks to Eric "The Snake" Gulliksen's hard work, a discography of Kathi's recordings, including sound clips, can be found on the Orpheus Reborn website. In addition to being a talented musician, Snake is also the technical magician that makes this website happen. |
