MY STORY
Art found me before I knew what it was.
I was born into poverty and moved around a lot as a kid, in a home where violence and neglect were part of everyday life. Drawing was my escape. It was my therapy before I knew the word, and the one thing that got me noticed in a good way, when most of the attention I got was for the bad things. By second grade I could draw with nearly perfect perspective.
The summer before second grade, my mom told me she couldn’t afford to raise me, and asked how I’d feel about moving to Nashville to live with my grandparents. I said yes. She put me on a bus, by myself, bound for Nashville.
The years that followed were rough. I grew up mostly without supervision, got into plenty of trouble, and was exposed to drugs far too young. But along the way, a few people stepped into my life and changed its direction. I’ve never forgotten them.
From 1996 to 1998 I studied at Watkins College of Art & Design in Nashville, and in 1998 I had my first show downtown, where several pieces sold. My training is in drawing and realism, and that’s still where my technical skill runs deepest. But the work I love most is bolder: color, texture, and raw energy that owe more to the spirit of Abstract Expressionism than to photo-real precision.
Over the years I built a successful career in business. Now I’m bringing that experience and my art together at Good Cause Studio, my home studio in the Dallas area.
Looking back, I believe God used every hardship to prepare me to serve others. I’m grateful for the pain that taught me to put emotion on canvas.
WHY I GIVE IT BACK
I didn’t make it out on my own.
A few people saw something in a kid who was running wide open, and they took the time to help. I can’t repay them, but I can pass it on. That’s why the majority of the profit from every painting, print, and mural goes to local charities and nonprofits, so someone else gets the same chance I was given.
When you bring home a piece of my art, you’re part of that.
— Brandon Taylor