ARTWORKS
By Fran Byers
Meet The Artist: Taylor Ikin
Taylor Ikin doing an
art demonstration at
a downtown antique
and art walk in Dade
City, Florida. I had
never seen anyone
use watercolor on
Yupo paper and I
was fascinated as
she pulled, wiped
and manipulated a
swirling muddle of
water and pigment
across this slick surface.
Preternaturally
Taylor Ikin, Tampa Artist
quite lovely.
Taylor has been dubbed the “Yupo Queen” and is
widely known and highly regarded for her work on this
synthetic tree-free surface. Her environmentally sensitive
images have been exhibited in museums throughout
the South as well as Florida House in Washington DC.
Her unique approach and joy in making art are frequent
topics of magazine articles, books and the local press,
and can be enjoyed through her DVD, Dancing With
YUPO.
A Virginia native, Taylor studied art history at
Holton Arms School in Washington DC. She later spent
eighteen years on the island of Antigua where she painted
local scenes and wildlife. She has taught regionally,
at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art and the Beach Art Center.
She has served on the Board of the Arts Council of
Hillsborough County and as president and board member
of the Florida Watercolor Society. She is an award
winning member of the Suncoast Watercolor Society, the
Southern Watercolor Society, Florida Artists Group and
has exhibited with the National Watercolor Society.
Currently, Ikin serves on the Boards of the Gasparilla
Festival of Arts and of the Leepa-Rattner Museum
of Art and teaches at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center in
Dunedin and at the Old Hyde Park Art Center in Tampa.
Taylor has won numerous awards and her works are
among the collections of The Vatican, Rome, Italy; The
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto, Canada and St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Locally,
her works hang at Old Number One Fire Station in
Tampa, St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Tampa, Tampa
Theatre and the Tampa Bay Conservancy.
“sweet tea southern charm” are her most endearing
gifts. For more information and for classes and workshops
please visit http://www.taylorikin.com.
Paintings by Taylor Ikin shown clockwise:
Top: Giant Bird
Second: Surfs Up
Third: Take Off
Fourth: Still Waiting
8 • JULY/AUGUST 813.682.9364 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE
/www.taylorikin.com