Madelyn Taylor

\"The Lady of the Lake\" is based upon the Arthurian legend of Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, who hands over Excalibur to a young Arthur. Acrylic on wood 40x60 inches

This piece is my interpretation of the chivalric romance poem \"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.\" I focus on bringing the female presence into the light in my pieces based on history and literature. In my piece \"Sir Gawain,\" I made the Green Knight a woman because the only other female characters in the poem are there to seduce Gawain. This female character is in control of Gawain\'s fate. Acrylic on masonite 40x60 inches

\"The Lute Player\" is a piece based on a Russian folktale of the same name. In the folktale, a queen has to save her king by dressing up as a jester and perform for her husband\'s captor. The captor releases the king not knowing that the jester is the king\'s wife. The king is furious that he has been left in the hands of a simple bard until she reveals herself to be his wife. Classic. Acrylic on illustration board 12x16 inches

\"Lisa\" is a live model portrait. I used thick gesso to create impasto, and painted thin layers of acrylic over top. Acrylic on wood panel 11x14 inches

This piece is based on the story of Saint George, who defeated a dragon to save a princess. However, my take is more of an 80s fantasy version. I created this piece for a children\'s book illustration course. Acrylic on illustration board 18x24 inches

This piece is a portrait study I created before diving in to painting \"The Lady of the Lake.\" My goal with this was to get a feel for the model\'s features as well as the lighting. Acrylic on wood panel 11x14 inches