Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Canvas' Eye View


Alexandra Tyng "Canvas' Eye View"  2005
Contemporary Philadelphia-based painter Alexandra Tyng puts a unique spin on self-portraiture as seen by the canvas about to be painted upon! Tyng is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including First Place in the Portrait Society of America's 2012 International Portrait Competition.  She is represented by several galleries, including Dowling Walsh, FischbachGross McCleaf and gWatson.  Tyng, the daughter of two architects, did not originally intend on a career in the arts but attended Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania where she studied psychology and education.  Tyng still relies on these interests in order to clearly convey a strong sense of place and convey emotion in both her landscapes and portraits.

Alexandra Tyng "Painters on Cadillac Mountain"  2009
 Here Tyng paints her friends and fellow painters Diana Ansley (red hair) and me, Nancy Bea Miller, (blonde ponytail) on a painting trip we took in Maine. The grand vista with the intimate details is a leitmotif of Tyng's beautifully textured work.

Nancy Bea Miller "Alexandra Tyng Painting" 2009

On the same trip I myself whipped off this little (12 x 9 inch) painting of Alex as we painted at Beaver Pond in Acadia National Park. I'd finished my bigger piece but Alex had a little more to do on hers so I grabbed an extra panel and used up the rest of my palette paint. The bigger piece I eventually discarded but this little "extra", roughed out in about thirty minutes, ended up being the keeper! 

3 comments:

Heddy said...

Never have seen before the canvas's viewpoint in a self-portrait. Also like the back wall full of inspiration and sketches, the eye never tires.

Nancy Bea Miller said...

Yeah, it's a unique perspective...not so much the pose as the thought that this is what the canvas is seeing...LOL! She's such a terrific artist.

Nancy T said...

Love these!