Local senior painted ceramic swans for The Oscars at 18

MEDFORD, Ore.- March is Women’s History Month, and NBC5 met with one Medford Senior with her own incredible history. Gillian Taylor is a lifelong artist who painted ceramic swans for The Oscars when she was just 18.

Taylor emigrated from England to California with her family in 1963. Soon after, she says she got hired as a painter for the Winfield China Company. During her time at Windfield, she says she did many paint jobs, including working on a special order for The Oscars painting swans.

Taylor says she knew she wanted to paint even before she came to the states, and this opportunity at The Oscars thrilled her.

“I loved to paint, and draw and things like that,” Taylor said, “I was the first one in my family to get a job. All this happened in a year”.

Though Taylor hasn’t painted in a while, she still practices her artistry through poetry.

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NBC5 News Reporter Lauren Pretto grew up in Livermore, California and attended University of California, Santa Cruz, graduating with a double major in Film/Digital Media and Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. Lauren is a lover of books, especially Agatha Christie and Gothic novels. When her nose isn't buried in a book, she knits, bakes, and writes.
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