September Featured Artists – Christie Taylor & Fred Sprock

Christie Taylor and Fred Sprock, natives of North Carolina, discovered the Eastern Shore through friends. In 2012 the marshes overlooking Chincoteague Bay drew them to a new home which provides inspiration for both of their artistic talents. At that time Christie was still the managing partner of a Charlotte consulting firm specializing in promoting original art in the workplace. After setting her retirement for 2018, Christie wanted to expand her artistic experiences as a Fellow at Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ballycastle, Ireland. In 2017 and returning in 2018 she spent 5 weeks each visit being drawn by the Irish landscape which parallels her fascination with Eastern Shore marshes. Her work in the show reflects how the rocky coast of Ireland serves as a vehicle to explore her interest in line and shape. Christie calls this Rock Scissors on Paper.

After Fred retired from a marketing career he studied with artists he admired accepting the challenge to become an artist, not just a painter. His move to Maryland gave him a renewed focus on having his work become a personal statement about his artistic exploration. His imagery, either a landscape with simple structures or an element in a natural setting, is painted with translucent quality diffusing light so the subjects and setting work together. His subjects are based on his attraction to simple architecture, nature’s simplicity and simple bucolic settings. Inspiration comes from exploring the Eastern Shore and the many places he travels.