Karin Taylor

“For over a decade, my yoga bears have blended my passions for art and wildlife into one playful creation. By expressing their comical traits, these lovable characters remind us of our shared space with wildlife, fostering empathy and dispelling negative perceptions often associated with them, while encouraging coexistence.

With over 30 years as a wildlife artist, bears remain a cherished subject of mine. From the Alberta foothills to Vancouver and now having settled on the Sunshine Coast, my journey into yoga sparked the creation of these statues, marking my transition to full-time 3D artistry.

Witnessing people’s smiles and general reactions to my sculptures fuels my ongoing creative joy.

And, as actor and comedian Danny Kaye famously said—and my personal mantra goes— “Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.””

Biography
  • Karin Taylor

Meet Karin Taylor, an artist whose journey began as a wildlife watercolourist in the early 90s, when she and her family embarked on adventures in the Far and Middle East before settling in Canada in 1997.

Wildlife has always been Karin’s passion. During her time in Indonesia, she served as the house artist for the Jakarta Zoo, a hands-on experience that fueled her love for unusual materials and canvases. In Calgary, her creativity expanded, as she worked on canvases ranging from massive boulders to delicate wild turkey feathers. Her feather art became a staple at the Calgary Stampede’s Western Art Show for over 15 years and even graced television specials for HGTV and Chinese/Canadian TV.

Today, Karin primarily creates wildlife, including her beloved Yoga Bears series, which are all hand-sculpted from imported wood cellulose, air dried, and then coated in enamel.

Currently, she’s immersed in crafting a large bronze bear sculpture for public art in her hometown of Gibsons, BC.

Karin Taylor’s Sculpting Process:
My bears are all individually hand sculpted from wood cellulose (imported from Europe), air dried, and coated in enamel once dry. No chemicals are used; only water to mix the cellulose powder.
This year I have also started a ‘coastal’ version of the yoga bears: instead of a bronze enamel the coastal bears are covered in sand.

Apart from my armature, the bears are basically turned back into solid wood. Therefore, they should not be shown outdoors permanently.

FOR PRIVATE VIEWING AND SHIPPING OPTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT THE GALLERY.


Salmon is Here, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear catching a fish by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Salmon is Here 5.5" X 8" (14cm X 20cm)
Airplane Pose, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear doing yoga by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Airplane Pose
Chair Posing with My Butterflies, mixed media yoga bear sculpture by Karin Taylor | Effusion Art Gallery, Invermere BC
Chair Posing with My Butterflies
10" X 5" (25cm X 13cm)
Half Moon Pose, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear doing yoga by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Half Moon Pose
9.5" X 8.5" (24cm X 22cm)
Hockey Game ON, cute mixed media hockey bear sculpture by Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Hockey Game ON!
11.5" X 6" (29cm X 15cm)
Living the Dream, cute mixed media bear sculpture relaxing in a canoe by Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Living the Dream
5.5" X 13" (14cm X 33cm)
Meditation Bliss, mixed media yoga bear sculpture by Karin Taylor | Effusion Art Gallery, Invermere BC
Meditation Bliss
10.5" X 7.5" (27cm X 19cm)
My Happy Place, cute mixed media bear sculpture relaxing on driftwood by Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
My Happy Space
6" X 11" (15cm X 28cm)
Savasana, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear doing yoga by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Savasana
3" X 9" (8cm X 23cm)
Single Leg Boat Stretch, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear doing yoga by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Single Leg Boat Stretch
Skater Dude - Tattoo, mixed media skateboarding bear sculpture by Karin Taylor | Effusion Art Gallery, Invermere BC
Skater Dude - Tattoo
7" X 6" (18cm X 15cm)
Tree Scratcher, original mixed media sculpture of a friendly bear scratching his back on a tree by Canadian artist Karin Taylor at Effusion Art Gallery in Invermere, BC.
Tree Scratcher
15" X 6" (38cm X 15cm)
karin-taylor

In Studio With Karin Taylor