By Greg Ellison, Staff Writer

(Nov. 2, 2017) Snow Hill artist Christie Taylor will hop the pond to Ireland next week to commence a five-week fellowship awarded by the Ballinglen Arts Foundation.

Taylor was selected to receive a 2017 Fellowship from the nonprofit arts foundation, based in Ballycastle, Ireland.

After earning an art degree from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, Taylor founded the Hodges Taylor Gallery there and remained in the region for the next three decades. Still, she said she was not a prolific painter until later in life,

“I didn’t have anything to say as a painter, coming out of college,” she said. “I’ve always been in awe of artists, because they’re willing to be vulnerable and are risk takers.”

When Taylor moved to the Eastern Shore, five years ago, the distinctive ecosystem inspired her shift from managing an art gallery to pursuing creative endeavors.

“My subject matter is the salt marshes here, which was always a passion for me,” she said. “There is more life in a square foot of marsh than anywhere in the world.”

In addition to Taylor, three other artists were selected for fellowships in Ballycastle, a small coastal village near Ireland’s picturesque western shore cliffs that border the Atlantic Ocean. The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, which began the program in 1992, provides three-bedroom cottages for each artist, for the entirety of their visit.

“They encourage you to explore, enjoy and absorb,” Taylor said.

As a contemporary landscape artist, Taylor is eager to capture her first glimpse of the Irish countryside.

“I’ve known artists who have gone over there, [but] I’ve never been to Ireland,” she said.

In addition to producing at least one painting for the Archive of The Ballinglen Arts Foundation that exemplifies her artistic vision of rural Ireland, Taylor will focus largely on oil studies, or small preparatory paintings.

“When I first moved here I did 150 marsh studies,” she said. “I’m planning to do 100 studies over there. It’s all about observation.”

The prospect of visiting the Emerald Isle and becoming temporarily immersed in its natural environment has Taylor’s creative juices flowing.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to concentrate [and experience] total absorption,” she said. “We all strive for a chance to focus and reflect.”