Judy Taylor’s first portrait subject was her grandfather on his Nebraska farm, painted when she was twelve years old.
Later in life, Taylor studied portraiture with artists at the New York Academy of Art, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League, developing her skills in rendering likenesses. She also studied portraits in museums in New York City and Europe, a practice she continues to this day, often sharing her insights with students in the process.
Asked what drew her to paint portraits, Taylor notes her longtime interest in classic figurative and portrait work. She considers it “essential training” to be able to understand the anatomy, form, and structure in order to paint lifelike figures.
Over the years Taylor has painted numerous portraits for public and private collections and continues to paint from the model. She also donates her portrait painting skills to good causes, including live demos to benefit the Southwest Harbor Library.
Portraits hang here and there in Taylor’s studio in Seal Cove on Mount Desert Island. Some are formal—she has painted several commissioned portraits for the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University—others more casual. In every case, she manages to capture character.
Taylor recently responded to some questions about her portrait work via email. Her responses have been lightly edited.
CL: What kind of possibilities does the idea of portraiture open for you and your work? How do you use it to convey specific meaning? Do you combine it with symbolism, political messages, and personal beliefs?
JT: I try to combine many messages when painting a portrait. Beyond trying to render the portrait as naturally as I can, I like to use the direct gaze to engage the viewer with the subject.
Judy Taylor, Fabio, oil on linen, 30 x 36 in., 2020, private collection.
Portraits can include symbolism important to the personality, occupation, and narrative of the subject. For example, in the portrait of Fabio I used imagery in the background of him in performance and referenced how his life as a classical pianist continues through his two children who have studied piano since they were six years old. I believe imagery of this sort gives a fuller picture of the subject. I also think hands are as much about the portrait as the face.
CL: What specific stories/events/personal information do you include in your depiction?
JT: If the subject is a poet, I might include imagery that relates to that. If a scientist or researcher, the imagery may reflect their occupation.
I have painted three portraits of doctors at Johns Hopkins who were pioneers in their field. The first, of Dr. Barton Childs, was painted when he was ninety-two; he had resisted having his portrait painted for decades.
Judy Taylor, Barton Childs, oil on canvas, 47 x 41 in., 2010. (Courtesy of the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions).
I met Dr. Childs at Hopkins and he walked me up to his office which was filled with photos and clippings on the walls, many of animal mothers and their children. Dr. Childs was a pioneering geneticist. I choose to use some of these clippings in the background [of the portrait] along with a photo of children he treated and one of his mentors.
Almost everyone knew Barton without a beard but I was adamant about depicting him as he was when I met him. I did include a younger, clean-shaven doctor elsewhere in the painting.
An example of how a person’s hands are as much about the portrait as the face: Dr. Childs’s hands were elegant and reminded me of Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X.
In my portrait of Dr. David Valle, who was the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Inherited Disease Research, I included a baby with a genetic disorder who had been a patient, an image of, and quote by, Charles Darwin, and a kestrel and loon to reflect his interest in birds and the natural world.
My portrait of Dr. Mark Anderson features a COVID symbol as he helped navigate Johns Hopkins through the pandemic. The portrait includes an image of doctoral students to illustrate Dr. Anderson’s career as department head of Internal Medicine.
CL: Do you explore a sitter’s features in all their details, rendering the topography of a face, warts and all? Do you choose to exaggerate certain features of your subject? If yes, which ones and why? Do you, on the other hand, choose to overlook certain features? Do you simplify and abstract your depiction?
JT: It depends. I am very drawn to the naturalism of a Velázquez, Zorn, Repin, Caravaggio, or Sargent portrait and take my cue from them. This requires a deep understanding of light, value, and the underlying structure of the face.
Painters such as Repin brought the idealized figure down to earth. He also taught one of the first ateliers that allowed women to study the figure from life. I can’t imagine not having that opportunity and challenge.
Judy Taylor, The Three Graces, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in., 2018, collection of the artist.
The Three Graces is my depiction of the “goddesses” who represent grace, charm, and charity, with some whimsy thrown in the mix. These images were painted using the Zorn palette, named after the great Swedish painter, Anders Zorn. The palette consists of only four paints: black, white, cadmium red light, and yellow ochre. You can get a lot of mileage from these if you understand mixing, and it creates a unique harmony in the painting.
CL: Do you anchor your figure in a certain time and place, for instance, including elements of the setting?
Judy Taylor, Moxie, oil on cradled panel, 24 x 12 in., 2020, private collection, (photo: James Imbrogno).
JT: Moxie was painted with my favorite model in the studio and, yes, I posed her upside down where her legs cross on the X in Moxie. This painting was purchased by the granddaughter of the founders of [soft drink] Moxie so it landed in the perfect place.
I love combining elements of costuming and poses with old advertisements of Maine products. Of course, a great model is half the battle.
CL: What do you aim at conveying about your relationship to the person and how do you hope the viewer will relate to that person/depicted figure?
Judy Taylor, Frank, oil on linen, 24 x 30 in., 1996, collection of the artist.
JT: Frank was painted from a wonderful model I had when living in New York City. He posed for over a week so I had time to build the painting and portrait. At some point he wrapped a white towel around his neck and I put that in fairly quickly with a palette knife which contrasted not only in color but in texture and helped to set a narrative. The entire painting was executed in the great north light studios of the National Academy of Design in New York City.
[You can see more of Taylor’s portraits at www.judytaylorstudio.com and in this profile in Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine.]
Image at top: Judy Taylor, Self-Portrait, oil on linen, 20 x 24 in., 1986 (The portrait received an honorable mention from the Society of Illustrators in 1986).