David G Taylor

David G Taylor is a neurodivergent mixed-media artist based in Brighton. Inspired by pop art, dadaism and punk, his projects have included designing t-shirts for the record label Not Saints, creating bespoke decoupage wall murals and portraits of personal heroes like Grace Jones, David Bowie, Divine, and Amanda Lepore.

He is a member of Figment Arts and Kemptown Arts Association, he’s exhibited in shows including Brighton’s Open Houses Festival, BEAF (Bournemouth Emerging Arts Festival), East London’s Secret Salon, and Story Maps in Newhaven.

How did you get into art?

I’ve been making it all my life but no-one seemed to recognise any potential. At school, I almost wasn’t allowed to take exams in Art and my dad had to write a letter to persuade them. Although I passed, I didn’t make any art for years and put my efforts in writing fiction. Then, in 2012 I started dating someone that lived at Villa Santo Sospir in France, which is known as the ‘tattooed villa’.

In the 1950s, artist Jean Cocteau covered the plain white walls with incredible line drawings of figures and mythical  beasts. His handiwork was so inspiring that I started to make art again. Which came in handy as something to do during the pandemic. In 2020, the  Artistic Director of a community arts charity saw my work and commissioned me to design a set of promotional postcards for them. I’ve been making and selling art ever since.