'Gary Taxali' SendMeYourMagazines Feature: Dynamite Artist 2

All blog post images for this entry belong to Gary Taxali(garytaxali.com)

I know it will sound corny when I say it, but Gary Taxali is my ultimate inspiration. I first discovered his work while stumbling across a couple of his pieces in a magazine.  The magazine was called called "Communication Arts" and I subscribed to it while I was in school at Brown College in 2004.  I was drawn to his style, which was different than anything I had ever seen.  It has an attitude and evokes an emotional level I didn't think was possible to convey with such simplicity and bold lines.  He combined elements of cartoon figures and stencil text art and added an aged, photocopied appearance. I also admire Gary Taxali's ability to pull off a lot of emotion with halftone colors. His use of shapes is a part of his style I take with me when I am working on my art. 

Despite the simple designs of his pieces, he still managed to put together a story that each viewer is free to complete in their own mind, at their leisure.  What I am trying to say is that you can stare at the work for a short time and come back and get something completely different if you come back later and stare at it for a longer amount of time.  This is a suggestion I offer any viewer when looking at any piece of fine art. 

This artist has broken the mold of just being a gallery artist and has begun selling physical pieces of his work to customers. He sells prints, posters, skateboards, toys, stationary, wallets and accessories. He does this smart, by keeping every piece to a limited amount, creating exclusivity.  I want to someday be able to use my creative skills to come up with a brand and marketable niche of my very own, and feel that Gary Taxali has shown me this is possible.  I feel I do a style similar to his, but I try to take it further to the extreme with spices of bolder and more vibrant colors and take the whimsical cartoon feel even further towards the abstract.  As I grow, I would be very happy if I someday can give off the same sense of class that Gary Taxali does. Looking at his pieces make me feel real and fun. 

I highly recommend checking Gary Taxali out on the web!
Gary Taxali's Site