For us at Black Sand Publishing, today is Friday, the day before the weekend, aloha Friday, Feature Friday – but for Tyler Warren it is the day of the week that will always remind him of his Uncle Kenton. After taking a variety of art design classes like screen printing, graphic design and metal casting, Tyler started an apprenticeship with his Uncle Kenton, helping him paint backgrounds and prepping his paintings. “I think my time with him really helped me evolve as an artist, opening my eyes to many books in his studio and different techniques to get the desired look.”
While you may know him from his surreal, pieces and intricate penmanship, Tyler’s artwork is not limited to his preferred ink or oils. He is a surf artist, creating surfboards by shaping polyester foam. From his late teens to his early 20’s, Tyler was busy doing commission pieces for companies in apparel, shoes or wetsuits, eventually allowing his surfboard shaping to take up most of his time. But don’t let this fool you, his surfboards are not simply technical, they are well thought out and beautiful even. “I definitely consider them an art form. Art means just about everything to me – it is my life and way of life.”
At the age of 14, Tyler had already shaped his first board with the help of his two friends. At the time, shaping, design and surfing were all separate activities in his life, but by the time Tyler had shaped his 9th board, the process was engrained and personalized. In 2009, his first art show came together in the back of a small surf shop, drawing attention to the wide, short, round nosed 4’11 keel finned design that was originally created by Joe Boeguess and Larry Mabile. Without the initial intention to sell his boards, Tyler went on to design all types of boards – from longboards to shortboards to everything in between.
When trying to look deeper into Tyler’s life and influences, we were inspired even more, “to tell you the truth; surfing, art and shaping are my hobbies and my life – everything in my life revolves around design and trying to achieve a smooth line.” This fusion of his passions and work are a breath of fresh air, just as he’d like you to feel when you’re looking at his pieces, “I want people to think of openness, freedom, lust, joy…”
Besides his lifestyle influences, old advertisements, art deco, art nuevo and vintage posters have been a large inspiration to his bright pieces. A great example is his piece “Another Great Day”, shown below. When we look at this piece we see Andy Warhol’s pop art colour blocking with a mix of aloha spirit and modern influence, as well as sand in our toes.
While you may be hoping to catch a glimpse of Tyler surfing or painting on the beaches of Hawai’i, you are out of luck – Tyler was kind enough to take a moment out of his surfing and shaping trip to France to give us this behind the scenes feature. If you are looking for more information or are interested in more Tyler Warren art, stop by Greenroom Gallery Hawai’i or visit his personal webpage! Last night Greenroom Gallery Hawai’i had their grand opening at the International Marketplace including a photography exhibit from Zak Noyle. Tyler Warren, Zak Noyle, Heather Brown and Susan Wickstrand are all amazing and colourful artists featured at Greenroom Gallery – if you find yourself in Waikiki this weekend, make sure you stop by to see the latest installment!!
More about Tyler Here