Russell Tyler (b. 1981) is an artist from Summertown, Tennessee who now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Russell Tyler's recent paintings are a playful, method-based approach to abstraction, as opposed to his earlier series which captured an expressionist bravura or cool geometry. In these new works, Tyler uses mid-sized canvases that are deceivingly large in scale with outlined marks that act as drop shadows and compositions that stretch edge to edge.Alternating between a vertical and horizontal format these works flirt with references to weeds, trees, and ponds without veering into representational territory. Rather, they read as graphic, punchy abstractions painted with close value ranges, about 5 colors to each work, overlapping think washes with thick impastoed handling.
Some works, like "RMP" fashion themselves as dynamic, sensual contrasts.Here, two large, dark curvilinear forms are balanced by a light, salmon-colored one that cuts through the center of the canvas.Other works, like "RV", "FLP," and "YP", feel celebratory as multi-colored tendril-like marks splinter off from the center toward the edge of the canvas.The value contrasts combine with the compositional treatment to create an explosive effect reminiscent of fireworks against a night sky. Tyler received his M.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and his B.F.A. from Concordia University in Montreal.
Solo exhibitions include his show at the Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles, Denny Gallery in New York City, Galerie Bernard Ceysson in France, Ribordy Contemporary in Switzerland, DCKT Contemporary in New York City, Freight + Volume in New York City, Alon Segev Gallery in Tel Aviv, Gordon Gallery 2 in Tel Aviv, and EbersMoore Gallery in Chicago.
Group exhibitions at the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Torrance Art Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, Anonymous Gallery, Retrospective Gallery, The Fireplace Project, Ana Cristea Gallery, Thierry Goldberg Gallery,ACME (Los Angeles), among others.
Highlights and Collections
His work has been reviewed or featured in Artforum, Hyperallergic, Modern Painters, T The New York Times Style Magazine, NY Arts Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail and Le Monde.