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ALPINE — To an artist, painting is more than just the art of creation. In the mind of Bryan Mark Taylor, it's an obsession — one that began when he was just a kid.
When his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, Taylor was set on being an artist, he said.
He graduated from BYU, then headed to art school in San Francisco. In the years since, he's made a name for himself, racking up a number of awards and becoming rather well-known in the art community.
Part of Taylor's success can be attributed to one thing: he's seen everything he paints with his own eyes.
"There's nothing better than just being out on location and experiencing it for yourself," he said.
Taylor travels around the world specializing in what's called "plein air painting."
"Basically a French term, it means 'open air,'" Taylor said. "Plein air sounds better than 'outdoor painting,' I guess."
While many artists keep their painting to a studio and work from photos, Taylor wants to witness what he captures.
"A photo just doesn't have the life and that real quality of light," he said. "Light and color are things that are really missed by the camera."
Taylor totes his gear around the globe — which at times, turned "plein air" into a simple disaster.
"I was in Italy, and my box that I was painting with, it's made out of wood, basically got crunched in my suitcase," he recalled. "So there I am in Italy, out in the countryside, without my equipment functioning perfectly. And I'm just thinking, 'I gotta have something that I can absolutely rely on.'"
Rather than simply complain, he drew up a solution. Taylor built a foldable metallic easel, to take his studio wherever he goes.
With a simple design he said he was inspired by Steve Jobs' simplistic Apple products, and the name "Strada" on the back, the easels attach to a basic camera tripod. Taylor made just a couple for himself and then showed a group at a convention.
Later, the demand for his product ended up so being high, he faced a decision.
"My wife, my dad, were all saying 'Don't do this, just be a painter,'" Taylor said. "I said, you know, if I can help people out, and solve the same problem that I'm dealing with, it might be a good thing."
Now, his wife runs the business end of Taylor's Strada Easel company, which are manufactured locally in the Salt Lake City area. It's proven to be so successful, they've received photos of the easels set up in places all around the world.
"Easter Island, that's one of the most remote places on the planet," Taylor said. "Somebody sent us a picture where a bear was right at the easel. They took off."
He's selling so many, he can barely keep up, which has left him with yet another decision.
"Like, I don't need to paint anymore," Taylor said.
As business continues to boom, will the artist put away his paint? Will he trade his brush for an office?
"You'd have to kill me," Taylor said. "It really is about the painting. The painting is just, it's an obsession."
