Shannon Taylor is an Oakland, California-based artist who creates captivating dioramas set in vintage lockets, pocket cases, and powder compacts.
Taylor’s works are a combination of miniature paintings and cutouts from watercolor artworks. Despite working with limited space, she manages to pack an amazing amount of detail and turn small containers into keepers of mystical realms.
These pieces are full of fantasy, magic, unusual creatures, and vivid colors. Viewers encounter worlds inhabited by wizards, vampires, ghosts, and fantastical beast resting on the palm of their hand, fueling their imagination and leaving them eager to uncover other secrets they might hide.
According to Taylor, her works conjure “the decorative and figurative qualities of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and aesthetic movement” while being an “exploration of beauty.” The artist also decorates each compact with an image of an owl, aware of the bird’s status as a symbol of magic, wisdom, and knowledge.
In case you would like to admire Taylor’s creations in person, they will be exhibited at Hashimoto Contemporary Art Gallery in Los Angeles as part of the Night Market exhibition that opens on November 9. If you can’t make it there, continue scrolling below to see more of them, thanks to the power of social media.
