On view March 16, 2025 - May 4, 2025

RECEPTION & ARTIST TALK: Saturday, March 22nd at 4:30pm. Doors open 4:00-6:00PM.

“When the pandemic hit my children were in pre-school and third grade. It was already a struggle to maintain a creative practice when they were away for some of the day, but when our pre-school shut down and our daughter’s schooling turned virtual, my time for making art became almost non-existent.

We were luckier than most. David, my husband, was already working virtually from home, and my creative work was flexible and could be easily put on hold. I thought I’d just set it aside for a time as we all tried to adjust to what felt like a new normal every week. I found, however, that emotionally and mentally I struggled without the time that I had previously spent, usually deep in contemplative mode in my studio.

Prayer is inextricably linked to my art practice and in a world that felt so unpredictable and unmanageable, I needed that time more than ever.

As an experiment I began making tiny landscapes that I could quickly drop in and out of. One moment I could tear down watercolor into small rectangles; in another I could tape down a few pieces. That might be all that I could manage for a day, but the next day I might be able to grab five minutes to place some quick brush strokes on my paper. A second layer of color would follow—and then a few moments of drawing in a few finishing touches and I could start another one.

In time, these paintings also became my prayers. I worked quickly in-between washing hands, laundering masks, cooking, checking state infection rates, tidying, monitoring spelling tests and soothing anxious hearts.

I could walk away from the studio and return to whatever was being required of me, knowing that my prayers were as real and solid as my paintings—a place I could drop into at any moment that would nourish me once again.

What started as a desperate way to give my brain a measure of sanity, turned into a steady and daily practice that I kept up even after things began to settle in our often-turbulent world. As of this writing I have painted almost 300 tiny prayer landscapes. The ones included in this book were made in much the same way as those first attempts, except that my dedicated studio hours have returned. Instead of ten minutes, I’m able to soak deeply into a more expansive prayer space and to let these images emerge.

In 2024 these paintings, accompanied by almost 400 short prayers written by my husband, David (a priest and professor of theology,) were published by IVP as a prayer book. You can purchase the book through any major book seller, and prints of these images can be found in the shop section of my website.”

— Phaedra Jean Taylor

She primarily works in encaustic (wax) and watercolor, exploring themes of place, longing, and mystery. She is particularly interested in investigating the natural world, and uncovering the way it acts as a door to the visible and invisible Kingdom of God. Phaedra is the illustrator of the Open and Unafraid Prayer Cards, a companion card set to her husband’s book Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guild to Life; The Light Has Come, an illustrated card set for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; Prayers for Life, embellished collect prayers for the in- between times; and her work is featured in the book Prayers for the Pilgrimage (2024, IVP), which contains 300 plus original collect prayers accompanied by 22 watercolor paintings. She enjoys walking in wild places, a strong pot of tea, time to putter in her garden, and watching the sky on the piece of open prairie where they live. You can see more of her work, and snap shots from her studio, on Instagram @phaedrajeanartmachine or at www.phaedrataylor.com.

For inquiries and requests please email phaedrajean@gmail.com.