A Prince of A Fellow: Timothy C. Tyler, An Extraordinary Painter

By Charles Woollett

Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries -  It was a serendipitous meeting. At our mutual friend, Michelle Steed’s Casa Grande, Newcomers party over two years ago. Slowly making our way up the stairs, the conversation naturally got around to where are you from? “Bella Vista, Arkansas”, said my wife Linda. “No way - me too!”, exclaimed Tim. And that was the beginning of a dear friendship.

As it turns out he'd had an exhibition at Alice Walton’s Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, AR, which we knew only too well, and now is one of North America's top galleries up there with The Guggenheim and John Paul Getty museums. As a matter of fact, as Tim recalls, “Alice invited us to her house the day she bought my painting ‘Nirvana’, so the gallery just took it along. When they sat it down, they placed it right below an original bronze by, August Saint Gaudens”. Not in bad company, me thinks.

Now one has to turn back the pages of time to understand and appreciate the depth of this painter's background. Timothy C. Tyler started his affair with paint brushes when he was only 14 years old in Arizona. His vivid imagination took hold in Tuscany, Paris and Scandinavia, twenty odd years ago, winning him countless awards. His early work, "The Deconstructionist" was awarded "Chairman's Purchase Award" in Art Renewal Center's annual Salon and was the first painting by a living artist to break into the top ten. It has been the subject of numerous essays and reviews. Another of his pieces, "Happy Homemaker" was awarded 11 awards nationally including; “Grand Prize Allied Artists of America”, which included lifetime elected membership, “National Oil and Acrylic Painters" Best of Show”, “Most Original Award of Excellence” and “Viewer’s Choice” where it was purchased at Bennington Museum of Art. 

You get the idea, people and critics love his art. His style and techniques harken back to the old-world masters like, John Singer Sargent, William-Aldolphe Bouguereau, Andres Zorn, and Impressionist, Vladan Stiha which he has studied relentlessly. From still-life oils, to his modern acrylics, Tim is an artist who stimulates your imagination. Now happily married to his darling Mexican wife and lawyer, Ingrid, living here in San Miguel, he offers art classes from time to time with exhibitions at the Calderoni Gallery at Fábrica La Aurora and the Dante Gallery in Puerto Vallarta. He also has a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona. His paintings and geiclays range from several hundred to tens of thousands and are owned by notable collectors, Amon Carter and Alice Walton. 

“Tim Tyler is a contemporary artist who works in a representational manner”, says Aaron Jones, Crystal Bridges Interpretation Manager. “Inspired by the Old Master's Tyler's skill and technical ability to achieve high levels of realism are impressive. Yet, it is his visual wit, use of satire, and clever method of social commentaries that he weaves into his compositions that elevate his works above those of practicing realist artists. A respected professional artist, Tyler has a distinctive career and received honorable recognition for his work from notable authorities and leaders in the arts, such as the late Charles Banks Wilson”, says Jones.

To know Tim is to appreciate his extraordinary craft and his quiet, humble demeanor. We are lucky to have such wonderful artistic talent here in San Miguel, and Tim’s work is now on full display. I have exposed the just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more exciting canvases to be revealed I am sure. Like the 18^th-century author, Horace Walpole, who coined the phrase, taken from his Persian fairytale, “The three Princes of Serendip”. You get the feeling this is an old soul living in a modern era. As Timothy C. Tyler leapfrogs around the world, with his mischievous smile, serendipity is this artist's strongest ally, allowing for phenomenal discoveries.

A chance meeting, Linda, and I are truly grateful to have had. He is a prince of a fellow, his artistry now among us here in this wonderful Shangri-La. May you have the pleasure of meeting him around town, savoring, even do dare I say, owning a piece of his precious Art. 

See more of his work at www.Tctyler.com