One of her favorite entries was a ceramic planter and mug hand sculpted during a class at Meadowview Art Center in Chilhowie. It features eyes and a couple of mouths stitched together.
CAROLYN R. WILSON
Special to the Bristol Herald Courier
WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA. FAIR
GLADE SPRING, Va. -- -- Felicity Taylor may not be the youngest exhibitor at this year's Washington County Fair, but she's certainly among the most successful.
The teenage Taylor brought home a cascade of blue ribbons awarded during the September fair, receiving first-place awards for every piece of art she entered -- all 14 items.
"I honestly wasn't expecting to win blue ribbons for every single item," said the 14-year-old homeschooled student. "I thought maybe one or two. I was so happy."
Her artwork, some of it a little quirky, runs the gamut from acrylic paintings inspired by Shakespeare to a costume influenced by a horror movie. She uses ordinary objects like fabrics, cardboard, paints, and even plastic containers, to bring her visions to life.
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"I've grown up around nerdy stuff my whole life," she said. "A lot of my artwork is inspired by my parents."
The teen's whimsical and sometimes powerful creations naturally come from the influence of an artsy family.
Her mother Ashley Taylor is well versed in the arts, having trained professionally in dance since an early age and studied at Virginia Intermont College for art education and dance. The mother and daughter have made their own Halloween costumes since Felicity was a little girl.
Her father Walker Taylor works in the information technology field, and claims responsibility for introducing his daughter to the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Felicity's grandmother, Cathy Hicks, retired from teaching art for 39 years at Patrick Henry High School, one the longest teaching careers in Washington County.
Hicks described her granddaughter as having remarkable vision.
"You can put a pile of materials on a table and she will create something astonishing," Hicks said. "She likes to brainstorm with me on her ideas, materials, backgrounds and colors, but in the end, the creations are all hers. Felicity's art speaks to the viewer and you feel her in each piece."
Hicks said her granddaughter likes to make useful pieces that take on a special character.
"The cups or trinket dishes have eyes or teeth and when you see them you think 'that is so cool," Hicks said.
Drawn to art
The artwork she entered at the fair demonstrates a clever imagination and a knack for finding unconventional mediums.
Her painting she named "Harlen Shellison," is derived from the names of two of her favorite horror authors, Harlan Ellison and Mary Shelly.
"The painting is of a mouthless figure with stitched together skin," she said.
Taylor's painting titled "Woman in Water" was inspired by the work of Ophilia Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Heyser who painted the famous "Ophilia," a portrayal of the tragic drowning of the character Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
"My painting depicts a woman lying on her back in a pond with water lilies around her," the young artist said.
Her other artistic exhibitions include a mask costume piece made from cardboard, clay foam and plastic.
"The character is from a video game called 'Five nights and Freddys' and the character's name is Sun," she explained. The costume was made for the Tri-Cities Comicon, a regional comic and pop culture convention.
Probably one of her favorite entries in the county fair is Skin mug, a ceramic planter and mug she hand sculpted during a class at Meadowview Art Center in Chilhowie. The mug features eyes and a couple of mouths stitched together.
Even the smallest of art pieces demonstrate her love for producing not-so-ordinary art; works that reimagine everyday objects into something uncanny or magical.
She fashioned two hair clips from pottery that she based off the symbols from the cartoon series "Transformers."
She's made a Christmas decoration inspired from the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas."
Sewing is another evolving interest.
The young artist also entered her hand sewn kimono, styled after the robe-like garments from Japan.
"The pattern of my Kimono is from a character in an animated show called Demon Slayer, and her name is Nezuko," she said.
Using natural dyes made from fruits and flowers from her family garden, the teen made a tie dye t-shirt for the competition.
One of her most resourceful recycled creations is a large cow figure made from cottage cheese containers and milk jugs.
"I named the cow Milo," she said. "I cut and glued until I had formed the shape of a cow."
Not all about art
The teen's creative nature also has helped her to focus her time on serving the community.
She is part of the Little City Roller Derby and plays on the Little City Big Trouble junior team in Bristol, Tennessee, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to promoting and competing in the sport of flat-track roller derby.
During the summer, she volunteers at the Saltville branch of the Smyth County Public Library, helping with events including summer reading programs.
Once every month, she volunteers at the Southern Manna Soup Kitchen in Glade Spring, where she helps with bagging food and washing dishes.
She's also a helper with Halloween and Easter celebrations held in Glade Spring.
"I enjoy helping my community whenever I can. I also enjoy getting to know the community and I plan to keep volunteering," she said.
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