KAMLOOPS ARTS COUNCIL
Art in the Park
Re-Imagined
Cat & Cory Taylor
Knots & Bolts
About Cat & Cory Taylor:
A Conversation with the Artist:
Name: Cory and Catherine Taylor of Knots & Bolts
Medium: Wood
How long have you been doing your art: Since 2015
What got you originally interested in the art you do: Cory is a Red Seal Journeyman Carpenter and has always loved crafting with wood. Our inspiration comes from our love of nature and the great outdoors and you’ll see that reflected in many of our pieces. Our reclaimed pieces are made from broken, damaged, or worn wood such as old decking and fencing, old kitchen cabinets and broken furniture – it is important to us to be able to salvage and repurpose as much wood as possible that would otherwise end up burned or in a landfill.
What is something you have learned about yourself through your art: That we aren’t afraid of change! Our methods and artistic processes have evolved a lot over the last 5 years. We are always learning and growing within our craft and love trying new things as trends change. Crafting together is also relaxing and enjoyable for us – it is therapeutic and relieves stress and quiets the mind.
What do you enjoy the most about your art: When we started Knots & Bolts in 2015 our children were 1 and 3 years old – crafting was something we enjoyed doing together while the kids were sleeping (which wasn’t very often at that time!). Now that they are older and they sleep better we have more time to create the art we love so much! We love that we can create new pieces whenever inspiration guides us. Our pieces have travelled to every single Canadian province, and every American state, and even to France, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. It makes us happy to think of little pieces of our creative spirit being enjoyed by people around the world.
What is your favorite joke/quote: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
If you could teach everyone one art medium or method, what would it be, why: Drawing! All you need is a pencil and something to draw on. Our kids are amazing at putting all of their creative ideas on paper by drawing and we both used to spend hours drawing when we were younger. As you get older it seems like people have less time to express themselves creatively and drawing is a really simple and accessible way to create art.
What do you think makes art important: Art is a perfect way to express yourself, especially feelings and emotions that are difficult to put into words, and helps you to understand and appreciate different perspectives.
What is something most people don’t know about you: We both used to work in the oil field in Alberta. Cory worked on the oilrigs and I was a wireline engineer and ticketed explosives blaster. Our lives are so much different now!
Why are you a member of the Kamloops Arts Council: We support the Kamloops Arts Council because they do amazing work to promote art of all kinds within the Kamloops community. They connect, facilitate and inspire! We have always appreciated the support and visibility that we have received from the KAC, specifically the honour of being artists at Art in the Park events hosted by KAC. The KAC has definitely helped us to become more well known within Kamloops and have been instrumental in our success as artists and as small business owners in Kamloops.
What are you looking forward to the most in this upcoming year (A special show or project you’re working on): We are working on a brand new website! Etsy has been a great platform for us and we are excited to take it to a whole other level with our own website. Stay tuned!