Ms Taylor, who currently serves as secretary of the Seymour and District Art Society, said art had always been a part of her life - after being given the honour as part of Mitchell Shire’s Australia Day awards.
“I’ve always been someone who’s drawn. As a child, I did art at school, when I studied, part of it was art,” she said.
“When I was working (as a teacher) and had children, I didn’t do it a lot, but once I retired, I thought, ‘this is the time I’ll get back into art’.”
A letter in the mail before Christmas was how Ms Taylor discovered she’d been named the shire’s Arts Person of the Year, an honour for the almost 20-year member of the local art society.
Ms Taylor said it was Lynda Robinson, a prominent artist in town and the current awardee’s predecessor, that put her hat in the ring.
“It was a bit of a shock for me when I found out (about the award),” she said.
“Lynda had a call from the shire wanting to know who she thought would be worthy, and she thought of me.
“I thought that was really, really special, actually; to think that she thinks that is really nice.”
Over the years, Ms Taylor has taken on a number of roles within the art society, including serving as president, membership secretary, workshop co-ordinator and co-ordinator of the Old Courthouse Gallery hanging team, alongside her current role as secretary.
She has also played a significant part in delivering Art Beyond the Divide, a popular annual exhibition in Seymour.
What drives Ms Taylor in her enduring commitment to the arts is her sheer passion.
“I’ve been president and secretary, workshop co-ordinator. I’ve done a lot of jobs, but I just feel like volunteering is what it’s all about,” she said.
“That’s the important part of it: you volunteer to help your community.
“I’m very passionate about bringing art to the whole community because I think art is a really important part of people’s lives, to be able to express themselves – whether it’s painting, sculpting, live performances — anything.”
She welcomes anyone to visit the art society’s home, the Old Courthouse Gallery on Emily St, at any time, saying, “a lot of people don’t know about this gallery and how wonderful it is – people can come in and have a look whenever, and we are lucky to have the Visitor Information Centre right next door”.
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