When deciding on the theme for their latest duo show, local artists and self-described “painting buddies” Carol Talley and Terri Taber turned toward a mutual point of interest.
“We wanted to highlight one of our fascinations—how to capture all types of light in the landscape,” Talley told the Sun. “From the ethereal to the exuberant.”
The show is titled Luminous Landscapes and runs at Gallery Los Olivos through Oct. 31. The gallery is holding an artist reception for Talley and Taber on Oct. 19. Both painters used pastels to create their regional landscapes.
“I typically paint areas in the Central Coast—from the foothills near where I live in Santa Barbara to the rugged coast of Big Sur,” Talley said.
Talley’s no stranger to traveling in order to capture a locale during a specific season, but she’s often able to stay close to home when creating her plein air studies.
“I love color and texture, so I often seek out subjects which embody these elements,” Talley said. “But living in Santa Barbara is a blessing, as there are so many fabulous places to paint all year long.”
Luminous Landscapes will be showcasing both Talley’s impressionistic and abstract landscapes, she said, with works of the latter category being her most recent.
Talley’s impressionistic pieces leave ample room for different interpretations. It’s impossible to tell where the large, open grassland in Prairie Sky is located, for example, as the piece could be depicting any Central Coast pasture.
“I’ve recently been exploring abstraction in my work, and I’ve used my existing landscape paintings as a jumping-off platform,” Talley said.
Golden Light and Tangerine, two of the artist’s abstract works, are even more indistinct. But the element that unites all three paintings is Talley’s deliberate emphasis on light, which she also uses to help illustrate her emotional response to the subjects she depicts.
“My intent is to make visible the ineffable emotions one experiences when being present in nature,” Talley said. “I strive to imbue a spiritual aspect in my work, trying to connect with the transcendent in myself and others.”
Talley describes her artistic process as an “unbroken flow” from what she envisions to the finished piece, she explained.
“I love the direct physical connection between my hand and the work,” Talley said. “Drawing and painting have always seemed like natural processes to me. I’ve been driven to make art since I drew on the walls with a crayon as a child.”
Taber, like Talley, also became interested in art at a young age.
“I have wanted to paint and be an artist since I was a child. I don’t know why,” Taber told the Sun. “I was an art major in college, but it took a backseat to a job which I could depend on to support myself for many years.”
Although both artists work with pastels, Taber often also uses watercolor as an underpainting in her landscapes. This process helps her amplify the atmospheric elements she seeks to capture, Taber explained.
“Sometimes you can see the watercolor peeking through the pastel,” Taber said. “Though my pieces are mostly realistic, I also manipulate the scene with color, light, and atmosphere to bring the feeling of the place to the viewer.”
Also similar to her painting partner, Taber usually doesn’t need to journey far from home to complete her work.
“I do love painting the foothills and oak trees around my home. I prefer starting a painting outdoors at the scene where I can feel the ambience of the location and try to bring that to the paper,” Taber said. “I usually finish my paintings in the studio where I can be thoughtful and objective.”
Taber’s love for painting is matched for her love of nature, as the latter became her reason for specializing in landscapes, the artist explained. She also hopes her enthusiasm for the subject is apparent in her work.
“I paint landscapes because the natural environment means a lot to me,” Taber said. “When I am outdoors in any natural landscape, I feel a harmony, contentment, and excitement that I don’t feel otherwise. I want others to feel that through my paintings if possible.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood also loved drawing on the wall as a kid. Send arts tips or a box of crayons to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 17-24, 2019.