Elizabeth Tyson

Biography

Elizabeth Tyson, born in Walla Walla WA in 1968, earned a MFA from Illinois State University. Previously, she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Oregon.

Tyson uses abstracted organic forms as metaphors, derived from botanical illustrations, drawings from observation, images from popular culture, and fragments of the urban landscape. Through her process, forms are disassembled, recombined, deconstructed, and reconstructed to create ‘hybrids’ of sorts. The work addresses ideas of an artificial or manufactured nature through the visual of dislocated and fragmented organic imagery.

Tyson’s robust palette animates the shapes and forms, adding to life to the organic images. There is fluidity and movement in the work, as if ‘organic tree limbs are growing right on the canvas” or that the orbs of color are “like amoebas moving across the painting in some random manner.” Among this ‘life’ there is systematic chaos much like cells dividing in a biology laboratory.

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Awards and Exhibitions

Exhibitions

2006
Johnsonese Gallery, Chicago IL, Two-person exhibition Title TBA
Diamond-Newman Fine Arts, Boston MA, Group show “Language: Speaking in Different Tongues”

2005
Suzanne Randolph Fine Arts, New York (Chicago Exhibition)
Phoenix, Group Exhibition, Johnsonese Gallery, Chicago, IL
Solo Exhibition, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Tightrope, Group Exhibition, Katherine Thiel Gallery, South Suburban College, South Holland, IL
Invisible Worlds, Group Exhibition, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
Arranged Marriage, Group Exhibition, Johnsonese Gallery, Chicago IL
Spring Benefit Auction, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
Curator, Domestic Force, co-curatorial project, The Guest Room Project, Chicago, IL

2004
Summer Salon, Group Exhibition, Johnsonese Gallery, Chicago, IL
Under Run, Group Exhibition, Dogmatic Gallery, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition A. Rudin. Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

2003
Leavings, Solo Exhibition. Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago, IL
Spring Benefit Auction, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
Guest List, Group Exhibition. Gescheidle Gallery, Chicago, IL
Exhibition of American Art, Group Juried Exhibition, Chicago, IL

2002
Anamorphosis, Solo Exhibition. Roanoke College, Roanoke, VA
The Evanston Biennial, Juried Group Exhibition, Evanston, IL
Illinois Institute of Art Faculty Biennial, Chicago, IL

2000
Wash, Group Exhibition. Bloomington, IL

1999
Remix, Group Exhibition. Chicago, IL
Huh?, Solo Graduate Exhibition. Normal, IL

Awards

Margaret Klimek Phillips Fellowship for Painting and Drawing, 2003

Visiting Artist

Illinos State University, 2005
Roanoke College, 2002

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Source: Diamond-Newman Fine Arts LLC has sourced this information from the artist. This information is solely for historical perspective and we can not guarantee the comprehensivenessor complete accuracy of this information since we did not directly comprise the historical log of the artist's shows ourselves. Exhibition information should not be a basis for purchasing artwork.

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