ABOUT

b. 1989

Tyler Guinn lives and works in Austin, Texas with his wife and two sons

STATEMENT

My signature approach to painting is expressed through multiple aesthetic structures. For each new piece, the intention is to consider how it looks, how it feels, and how it can evoke thoughts. Visually I’m seeking a balance in toughness and elegance - primitive materials and weathered surfaces are found in dialogue with classical concepts and cross-medium design principles. There is also tactility in the work. Signs of humanity in my studio practice are made apparent by smears, stains and perfectly imperfect forms. And for cerebral pleasure, I offer language as a form of drawing and drawing as a form of language.

Stylistically, the artwork tends to be categorized into two groups. The first, gestural paintings comprised of singular, tactile strokes and heavy, geometric arrangements. This deliberate, orderly style is still handmade and inexact. And second, paintings with streams of movement composed of kinetically determined lines, instinctive symbols and hasty inscriptions. Moments of realism and legibility in this style are absorbed by erasure using opaque layers.

The objects we live with and spaces we inhabit affect how we feel, act and think. Our physical environments match daily rhythms. Every item in a room has a sensorial role to play in the cumulative narrative. Somewhere in this intimate, tacit relationship among people, places and objects I find my role as a contemporary artist. Whether a project calls for placement or commission, I paint with the consideration of existing context, and the potential for new ones. Upon installation, there are three things I hope to contribute: a language of place, an organic sensibility and a spiritual grounding.

Language of Place

Much like the terroir of a wine, there are defining qualities of “somewhereness” in my artwork. What goes onto the canvas is the singular culmination of my instruments and materials, studio and light, emotions and intentions, memories and experiences. The results are a reflection of the my inner and outer world during the period of creation. “Somewhereness” is the visual language that reveals humanity in each painting - perfectly imperfect actions and the expressive qualities of gesture. The aim of this empathetic approach is a profound connection between artist and audience. Through that connection there is a dialogue. And in that dialogue there is a healing of the heart. Every piece is meant to be co-authored. Interpretation begins where my artistic intentions end, like a conversation of familiar ideas found in an unfamiliar form. Intimacy gives the artwork meaning.

Organic Sensibility

Artwork can breathe life back into manufactured spaces and ground those who inhabit them. The use of organic materials, motifs and palette can reflect what occurs in nature and deepen our connection to it. Instinctual familiarity calms the senses and evokes wellbeing.

Spiritual Grounding

I draw upon the heritage of Biblical literature in my work with psalms, proverbs and character stories. The paintings are not depictions, but rather they are the titles. Every mark is the experience; a visual response to scripture. Devotion, rest, grace - working through these concepts in real time turns out to be the message and meaning of the work.