TYNLEY BEAN
ABSTRACT ARTIST
Tynley Bean Press
My favorite press spot so far has been with Pulp Culture Magazine. Unfortunately, I don't think they're in business any longer, but here is the exerpt from the issue with my interview:
Why did you choose abstract painting?
The short answer is that I prefer nonrepresentational art because it allows me the greatest freedom of expression. The long version is that I have two sides to my artistic personality. I do utilitarian pottery to practice my craftsmanship—perfect the form through practice and repetition. I do the abstract paintings to utilize my intuition and for the freedom from form. All paintings are abstractions to some extent. Nonrepresentational art just strips away the distractions of specific subject matter and allows the viewer the maximum freedom of interpretation.
Many people have attended art school, or taken a class in college, some have never been to art school at all. Has having an art education played a part in your work?
Absolutely, my education has played a huge part in my artwork. I actually never took an art class in high school. While a won a few awards in elementary school, I never did art after seventh grade when someone made fun of a drawing of mine. I eventually started drawing again when I first went to college for my Associates degree (not in art). Later, I got a job in the videogame industry at a small development house. I worked closely with the art department and they provided me with a lot of encouragement. I used to think art was something that just came out of people’s heads – something they were born with. But one of the artists, Greg Grimsby, explained to me that much of it can be learned. He got a degree in art and showed me some of the books and resources he used. This was really my first inkling that I could go to college to become an artist. I eventually enrolled and it was an amazing experience for me. Before college I basically sketched with no real purpose or skill. My education gave me purpose, skill, ideas, and experience.
Would you suggest those interested to go to school or just continue exploring themselves personally first?
Creating art as frequently as possible is very important to becoming an artist, but I definitely encourage going to school for several reasons.
Firstly, where creativity and talent can’t be “taught,” there are basic principles of design that can be learned, and education is the easy way of learning them. As I look back on my pre-college artwork it’s obvious that I wasn’t aware of those principles and the difference is astonishing. It would have taken many more years to learn those principles on my own.
Secondly, I believe a well-rounded education has a huge impact on art creation. My experiences with oil painting affected my ceramics. My sculpture experiences affected my graphic design. While I may not use every medium again, the experiences opened my eyes to new ideas, new ways of doing things, new ways of looking at the world.
Thirdly, one has a unique opportunity in college to be surrounded by other artists. It really inspired me to see what my peers were doing. My school fostered a culture of support rather than competition among the students. Everyone had unique talents and interests and my peers were excellent sources for ideas and feedback. The professors were also an invaluable resource. Since I’ve been in the “real world” it hasn’t seemed that most artists are eager to help make a new artist successful. It’s very harsh. But the professors at my school were successful artists in their own right and had a lot of advice to give to help me be successful. Lastly, and most importantly, my education taught me to think critically about art. An artist should be able to critically evaluate his or her own work as well as be able to discuss ideas about art and aesthetics in general. My education gave me the tools to do this as well as many opportunities for practice.
What's your studio environment like?
Because my canvases are so large and I rent an apartment I haven’t had a permanent studio space, but have been able to use friends’ barns or garages. I paint by laying a stretched canvas flat on the floor (ideally, I’ll have a large stack of canvases on which to paint) and surrounding it with 50 to 100 different cans (mostly one gallon buckets) of latex/acrylic house paint. I usually start by opening and stirring every can so that I can see what I have to work with. I use various sizes and shapes of sticks (including a couple of “modified” ping-pong paddles) to apply the paint, so there will be piles of these lying among the cans. That’s really all there is to it!
You seem to have been influenced by J Pollock’s work, would there be any other abstract expressionists that you would look towards in terms of influences?
I’ve always loved Jackson Pollock’s work. I think my father introduced me to it when I was young. I was fascinated by the way it seemed filled with emotion, expression, yet completely without form. What was the thought process for where to pour the paint? I also remember Piet Mondrian from my childhood. His work seemed very simple, yet beautiful. I was intrigued by the placement of the colored rectangles. They just seemed to “work,” but for no obvious reason. Why did he choose that exact arrangement? It was a mystery to me then. I think I understand a little better now. In college I was introduced to Rothko’s work and more recently Franz Kline’s. gain, it’s all about the emotion, the feeling I get when viewing the work.
Have you ever been attacked by people for having similarities on your work and Pollock? If so, how has it affect you? Your work?
While Jackson Pollock’s influence on my work is undeniable, I have never been attacked for it. He developed a technique for painting that interested me. I tried it and really enjoyed it. I felt a freedom that I hadn’t felt before in my art. I did study his work a bit before I tried the technique, but in comparing my work with his I think there are obvious differences. We’re entirely different people and I think my own personality comes out in my work.
Where do you see your work 3-5 years from now? How has your work evolved from your beginning stages?
About the only definite thing I can say for the future is that I want to keep painting. It’s a process, a constant evolution that I can’t really plan. Initially my paintings were all very large. I felt like scale was crucial to their success. I gradually got into smaller sizes and found that they worked just as well as the larger paintings, so that’s one thing I’ve changed. I’m constantly experimenting with color, texture, and stroke so those are likely to evolve over time. I’m interested in including physical objects in my paintings—something akin to collage—to add texture and interest but haven’t figured out the best way to do it yet.