Kate Simmons derives inspiration from the landscapes surrounding her home in Northern California. Her oil paintings, most 3.5 feet or larger, are abstract and atmospheric. The paintings evolve from a personal and emotional place, and are built in layers of colored pigment, glazing and wax. Many canvases have layers stripped away, and are then rebuilt with new transparent layers on top, allowing the viewer to see glimpses of what is hidden underneath.

Kate has shown her work in group shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Baltimore. She currently resides in San Francisco.

In addition to creating visual art, Kate also writes short story fiction, flash fiction and poetry. Her fictional short story entitled 'Your Next Girlfriend' has appeared on KQED, The Writers' Block.

Most of my art work is figurative and representational. My paintings are based in experiences which have had deep emotional impact on me. I am deeply inspired by images and colors of Mexico. I enjoy working with bright vivid colors in oil on canvas, in order to evoke a striking experience. While the images in my paintings seem more or less derived from nature they are not intended to be representations of ordinary everyday reality. As I paint, I continuously ponder the structure and concepts of my images in order to insure that they correspond to my sense of the experiences underlying them.

My work search for visual clues, metaphors and states of grace that might illuminate how the world of solid surfaces can exist alongside or within the ever-present backdrop of impermanence and change. My intention is to open a window, at least for a moment, where the static experience of a single view gives way to the ecstatic possibilities of the ephemeral. 

Self Portrait Series:  I collaborate with forces inside and outside the studio to make images that explore my own shifting understanding of “the self”.  In the past I have worked with rain and wind and a seasonal leak in the studio. My one rule: never force, always coax these collaborations into being.  More recently, I have been working with dust and debris from my studio floor. Each portrait represents the accumulation of dust from one particular day.  I cut a stencil and use a spray adhesive on mylar to collect the dust and to cast a shadow into each image.  

Old Is New Series: These sculptures are made from a series of paintings that I completed in 2005. Each sculpture is assembled from one painting in the series. The original series was inspired by building facades in and around the city of San Francisco. The powerful act of ripping a finished painting combined with the meditative act of sewing and mending created a new understanding of form and change.

Urban landscapes are the places from which I draw inspiration, strength and comfort. Walking around busy streets, under highways, or in the weathered industrial edges of the city is how I reenergize and escape from the stresses of daily life.

When observing the environment around me, I often focus on one detail at any given time: a single color, texture or pattern of lines. This is reflected in the images where one color predominates, or where adjacent images dialogue with one another via shared lines. Highways, streets, girders, columns, and even the lines of a dress converge in these observations.

I often weave narratives into both my music and visual work, and as such each of these pieces tells a story. I invite viewers to look closely not only at the main colors, textures and subjects, but also at the small details and uncover these stories for themselves.

"In my view, it is the domain of the artist to challenge and to excite. Haven't you met persons similar to the images these watercolors conjure up? I want you to admire their beauty and delight in the paintings. I choose colors for their sensuousness, forms for their expressiveness and textures for their sumptuousness." - Morris Taylor

Morris Taylor paints watercolors ranging from exquisite nature portaits to brillant abstractions. There is a fluid connection between his artistic visions and the outward glow of his paintings. The Gallery of work included in this website demonstrate the artist's skill and interest in flowers, fly fisherman, fruit and more.

Previous one-person shows in the San Francisco Bay Area include Grace Cathedral, Magnet in the Castro, and the St. Frances Foundation. Dr. Taylor has also exhibited in national conferences, San Francisco Open Studios and the City Art Gallery.