Jamaican-Canadian artist Zoya Taylor’s paintings cover a collection of misfit characters in situations that speak to universal themes of pride and hurt, humor and love. (Above: Family Phobia)

She has a new exhibit at Toronto’s Spence Gallery, which specializes in contemporary expressions of Caribbean, Latin and African culture. (Above: The Reluctant Princesses)

-The Fence Between, 60 x 74 cm

-Blue Love, 50 x 60 cm

Taylor’s recurring characters are drawn partly from memories of a childhood spent in Jamaica.

-Out of Many, One: 30 x 30 cm

-Nothing is as it Seems, 100 x 120 cm

Hers is a world inhabited by wide-eyed waifs, world-weary grandmothers, wistful spinsters, braggadocios and rude-boys.  Her characters exhibit a curious mixture of innocence and worldliness and embody the duality in human nature. –avisfineartgallery

-The Poser: I Know You Want Me (20 x 16″)

-Feeling Fire, 90 x 116

We all have a cast of characters that define our lives. Personal demons or angels, spiritual or not, there’s a commonality in these characters. They draw on themes of the human experience – insecurity, concealed grief, disappointment, pride, hurt, hope, humour and love. –Zoya Taylor artist statement

Taylor has exhibited extensively in Italy, Germany, Spain, England, Jamaica, the U.S. and Norway where she now works full-time.

Zoya Taylor’s website, here

A brief biography, here