Born in 1943, Elsa Taylor lives and paints at her home in the Cotswolds. Her inspiration derives from the surrounding countryside, from her travels to the Umbrian hills and from the dramatic beauty of the far north of Scotland and the coast of Cornwall – it is these very different landscapes that form the bedrock of her work.

The construction and composition of the landscape and also of flowers has sparked her interest in abstraction and a fascination with their colours, textures and patterns. Her paintings are of the heart and mind, an emotional response to the landscape.

She has studied with Robin Child at the Lydgate Art Research Centre and his teaching continues to inform and inspire her work. His lectures and the subsequent intensive study of past masters has brought about an awareness and appreciation of art that changed the course of her painting.

Artist's statement:

My studio is in an old Smithy at my Cotswold cottage. It is a perfect setting to work in. I like to think of it as having been a working place for many years before I was here. My art training came from my studies with Robin Child at his Art Research Centre in Wiltshire and more recently in Devon. He is a continuing source of inspiration and informs my work both consciously and subconsciously.

I usually begin working from a drawing, sometimes a quick scribble of a subject that has captured my imagination ... or a memory of a landscape or a glimpse from a train window...then I attempt to build it into a finished painting.

Many artists have influenced my work thanks to Robin and his extraordinary insight. From Cezanne to Giorgio Morandi, Nicholas de Stael and Richard Diebenkorn..I observe and try to learn from the lessons that they reveal.