Raymond G. Taylor
Bio
Author living in Kent, England. Writer of short stories and poems in a wide range of genres, forms and styles. A non-fiction writer for 40+ years. Subjects include art, history, science, business, law, and the human condition.
Stories (635)
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Art for our sake. Top Story - July 2023.
Congratulations and well done to the Vocal team for launching the new Art community "where words and visual expression intertwine". I haven't yet had a chance to read through all of the great articles on offer but here are a few that caught my attention. If there is any interest, I will post some more reviews of fellow contributors' work sometime soon.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Art
AI and GPT-3: everyday uses
Content-theft, information security risk, fake news generation leading to reputation damage, and disruption of longstanding business models. These are just some of the fears about the introduction of 'artificial intelligence' and machine learning, but what of the positive side? And what are AI and GPT?
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in 01
Looking up at art
Everyone sees paintings and other artworks differently, and we all have our own tastes and preferences, but this does not stop us from looking beyond the obvious aesthetic value of a picture in order to gain a better understanding of what the artist was trying to say. Getting more out of art can also help us feel healthier, happier and more motivated.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Art
A very messy bed
It was the lowest point of my life. Out on the streets, nowhere to stay, nowhere to go, nothing to my name but a bottle of Stolichnaya I had lifted from the convenience store on the corner. The only thing to keep me warm on a cold night out in the city.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Art
The picture of Elizabeth Moody
“Beautiful isn’t it?” I barely heard the voice, as I stood in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, my gaze lifted to the canvas, enthralled by the image of a young woman in a landscape with two small children, all three adorned with lavish flowing fabrics. It wasn’t the sumptuous costumes that captivated my attention, so much as the expression on the lady’s face, which wore an enigmatic smile as the wearer gazed into the distance. The complexion of the subject had been applied with a liberal use of China white, giving the face an almost ghostly appearance.”
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Art
Losing my Cezanne
Standing in the National Portrait Gallery looking up at Picasso, it suddenly clicked. He had no brush. No brush! A painter without a brush, a king without a sword. The pallet held a few dollops of almost color but it was an irrelevance. The man, the artist, the painter in the painting could no longer paint. Pablo had lost his mentor, his father figure, he was a man unmanned. Cezanne was gone forever. A world without Cezanne? It was unthinkable.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Art
Lord help poor fishermen
“Lord ’elp poor fisherm’n on a night like this!” said Jim to himself as he stood at the rear of the Crow’s Nest Inn, watching the French fishing smack fight heavy seas as it crossed the bay, lashed by wind and rain. He pulled his collar tight around his neck. As a lad, working the nets with his father and brothers, Jim always knew he would find something better.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
Reach for the sky
Swooping low over the runway, the Spitfire throttled back to a roar of highly-tuned Merlin engine, making a perfect landing on the grass strip at Kenley. Flight Sergeant McKinley nodded his approval as the pilot taxied neatly into position by the fuel bowser.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
The inside job
I was nervous as hell that day. It had all been arranged. As one of only three senior executives with access to the strong room combination, I was alone out back with Christmas takings of over $2.5m in used notes awaiting cash-in-transit collection. The heist mob agreed a cut of $250,000 to me as the inside man. The plan was for the heavies to arrive at exactly the moment I opened the walk-in safe. Two men inside the safe and one outside, holding me up with a gun to the head. Just for appearances of course.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
