Allyson Melberg Taylor

Allyson Melberg Taylor’s drawings are intimate, reminiscent of things seen in an artist’s most personal journal/diary. Gentle figures find a stage on the page to breathe, to interact with others. Everything in Taylor’s world seems docile, void of confrontation or extreme emotions.

Rendered with pencil and wash on paper, Taylor speaks with a nuanced voice. These paintings look as if they are copies of old family photographs. Figures are dressed simply, usually wearing garments patterned with stripes. They connect, one to the other, directly, yet softly.

While there is a realism in Taylor’s works, many paintings show a world that is not quite right. Her figures are at times distorted, often depicted with rashes and spots.

About this, Taylor explains –

“The spots started out as a visual way to represent pollutants; in my work it is endocrine disruptors, bacteria, spores, things that were entering our bodies, that have a permanent effect on them but cannot be seen. So the spots, sores, tumors are manifestations of all of this inert stuff welling up.”

Taylor frequently collaborates with her husband, Jeremy Taylor. In these works, each artist enhances the other. Several of the collaborations appear to be symbolic self-portraits. A strong supportive, loving emotion is evident, as if the artists are expressing their most private feelings on the page.

Allyson Melberg Taylor at Cinders Gallery



Scott Rothstein is an artist who writes primarily about self-taught art and artists informed by traditional culture. His own work can been seen in several American museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rothstein has lived in Philadelphia, New York City, New Delhi, and Tokyo. He is currently based in Bangkok.