Artist Annette Taunton shares her upcycled portfolio and talks about creating art that reflects her home on the Florida Gulf coast.
ABI: Tell us about your newest direction.
AT: Copper. In the summer of 2015, I was in a junkyard and found a large sheet of copper. After a good bit of negotiating, I traded an old dead truck for the copper. Copper is a metal that I have always been drawn to. I started researching, trying to find a way to paint on the copper. It sat around for a good while in my backyard. Then one morning it occurred to me how I might be able to paint on the copper. I stared experimenting with different paints and primers until I came up with a solution that worked. Now that I had gotten the paint to stick, I needed to figure out how to scratch it off. I work with a knife, dremel, screwdriver and anything that will create the texture and color for the prefect piece of art. I will keep my secret as to how I get the paint to stick, but let’s just say my local hardware store is my favorite place.
I created a few pieces, and the next step was to find the perfect way to display the pieces. I have always loved nature, and Deadhead Cypress seemed to be the perfect answer. The deadhead is dredged from the Choctawhatchee River bottom. I use the outside pieces which would have been thrown in the burn pile.
All of this together allows me to create a one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Each is created by hand and coated in a resin sealer, so that the copper will remain unchanged in texture or color.
ABI: How does your current work fit with your location in the Florida panhandle?
AT: The Florida Panhandle is in the top five most richly biodiverse areas in all of North America. Everything I paint represents that diversity – the sea life in the Gulf of Mexico, the trout and redfish in the bay, the cypress trees in the Choctawhatchee River, the coastal dune lakes. I go out with my sketch pad and camera, spending the day getting lost in the beauty of it all. I thank you for allowing me to share the beauty that I see the way I see it.
ABI: How are you selling your art?
AT: Facebook and the internet has been my primary way to sell art. I also do a couple of art shows. I have a wonderful friend who owns a very small gallery in my little town, called The Gypsy Mermaid. And, I have been invited to sell art in a new gallery for me – Big Mama’s in Seagrove Beach.
