My encounter with Louis Taylor was one of those moments in life that just happened, unprepared and spontaneous.
During one of my many adventures in search of subjects, I was walking down the street in Seymours, Long Island, when my attention drifted towards a little blue cottage, typically Bahamian, and also, as often is in the out Islands, very run down.
This was a witness of the past and living proof of the many decades of rough-out island life. Brutal sun, hurricane-force winds, and salt air were the culprits that led to the condition of this lovely cottage. This was enough to trigger my interest in this place and so I ventured onto the property. Suddenly, Mr.Louis Taylor appeared. He was wearing a blue striped shirt and on his head a little white hat, which seemed to have been through the same rough weather as the cottage. My interest suddenly switched from that run-down home to the man before me.
He was easy to talk to with a big generous smile. Humility and pride were pouring out of his eyes and face. While he was talking, I couldn’t help being distracted by his shirt which matched the blue horizontal stripes of the cottage siding. His strong hands told no lies about the hard-working life that the out islands provide.
We spoke for a while and before we parted I took photos of him to help me remember that moment. I promised that I would be back to visit.
I never did anything with these photos, and never painted his portrait because I wanted to go back to get to know him better as I truly believe that the better you know your subjects the better you paint them.
The following year I returned to Seymours. To my disappointment, the cottage was boarded up. No one was in sight. I never saw Mr. Taylor again and even today I still wonder what became of him.
A few years passed and I lost hope of meeting him again, I remembered the photos I had taken and made the decision to immortalize him on paper. I wasn’t completely sure if my portrayal of who he seemed to me would do him justice but I knew I had to try to paint him as I remember him, a humble and proud man.
Rain Collector 2018
48″ x 29″ – 122cm x 74cm
Drybrush watercolour on driftwood
