Jackson portrait artist feels blessed

Kyle Taylor is an artist. The 24-year-old Jackson native sketches portraits from photographs, something he feels blessed to do.

Taylor creates portraits for clients of whatever they request. Requests generally consist of something personal -- something he or she wants to commemorate with a one-of-a-kind, customized portrait. They range from artistic renditions of dogs and cats to soldiers and the elderly.

Some clients, however, request a portrait of someone they may not know personally or something they don't own, but for which they have a connection or fondness. These requests have included sketches of sports figures, movie stars and trains.  

Occasionally, he does something personal for a family member. Taylor recently he gave his mother a gift. His mother lost her brother, Brian, in a car accident when they were children, and she had only a few pictures of them.

"She always had a small wallet photo of Brian as a young boy, which was her favorite, so I used that picture as a reference to draw a picture on a much larger scale," Taylor explained. "I gave it to her on Mother's Day this year, which is the day after the anniversary of his death. It was so special, and it is now hanging up in a very special place in her house."

Taylor trained at Southeast Missouri State University, graduating in 2012. He says his classes focused on exploring different types of art and media, he most enjoyed working in graphite pencil and creating art that relates to realism and people.

Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr decided to pay tribute to former mayors as part of the town's bicentennial celebration. The people researching and compiling the photographs found many of them came from old newspaper clippings, and their quality too poor and too small to be used.

That is where Taylor came in.

"The idea was pitched that the photos be given to me to re-create these mayors and bring them back to life," Taylor said.

When it was recommended Taylor do the mayoral portraits, he first created one for review. Bicentennial organizers were so pleased with the initial sketch, he was commissioned to do the remainder.

Lohr couldn't be more pleased with the mayoral sketches.

"They are really, really neat. They are a real treasure to us," Lohr said of the collection.

The mayoral portraits now are on permanent display in Jackson City Hall.

Taylor garners most of his business through Facebook and word of mouth. His long-term goal is to have space where individuals can meet with him by appointment and he can walk them through the portrait process -- from choosing the best photo to selecting a matte and frame for the project.

His standard portrait, 11 by 14 inches, and costs $125 and includes framing and matting.

Although Taylor hasn't drawn portraits for long, it has deeply affected him.

"It's a complete blessing to be able to use a talent that God gave me to reach people's lives," he said. "It is gratifying to know people enjoy my work, but much more fulfilling to hear from families how much one of my portraits has brought love, memories and happiness to them after a difficult time."

Samples of Taylor's and contact information are available at facebook.com/kyletaylorportraits.