los angeles artist henry taylor interview by DOROTHÉE PERRET portrait by DANIEL TRESE All artworks copyright of the artist Henry Taylor’s show opens in September at Blum & Poe, New York Born in Ventura, California, Henry Taylor paints on everything: cigarette packs, detergent boxes, suitcases, wood, furniture, canvas… and he paints almost everyone: waitresses, celebrities, the homeless, politicians, and a lot of African-Americans, often capturing the discrimination they constantly face. He works freely, loosely, easily, and always with great empathy. DOROTHÉE PERRET — I’ve read that you had a mentor at an early age who gave you direction. You were already drawing a lot. HENRY TAYLOR — It was my seventh-grade teacher who really sparked my interest in art. She had a lot of books at her house. We didn’t have art books at our house [in Oxnard, California], or anything like that. I was fortunate to have someone like…