Ty Clark 5/31/16 Ty Clark 5/31/16

Texas Art Series: San Antonio, Houston and Austin Shows!

I have 3 month long shows starting this Thursday at Louis Shanks Gallery in SA, Houston and Austin. I will be showcasing work from my 2015 "Healing Wounds" and "Tension" series, as well as new pieces from 2016 series "Thoughts on Rilke" and "The Prophet".

San Antonio (June 2-30) Opening June 2 6-8pm

Houston (July 7-31) Opening July 7 6-8pm

Austin (Aug 4-31). Opening August 4 6-8pm

Ty Clark 9/30/15 Ty Clark 9/30/15

"An Attempt to Breath" a new painting.

Here is a time-lapse of me working on my latest piece, "An Attempt to Breath"-

Would love to hear your thoughts below:)

Ty Clark 9/14/15 Ty Clark 9/14/15

The Second Half of Life.

Going home at 40 years old is never easy. Walking back into childhood memories, sights, smells and sounds that are now filled with age and hallways of fleeting moments. There are plenty of things that are missed, and just as many things that you can never get back, or even make up for.

I had a number of absolutely insane goals as a kid, really far out ideas and dreams. The crazy thing is that I have literally achieved them all! Some of them are goals that people laughed at and said, “that would be great kid, but don’t get your hopes up” type of dreams. I feel like I still have something major to do. Some great and massive adventure to go on. I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I am in it right now. Who knows? Maybe this is just how it works as you get older.

My childhood was incredible. It really was amazing. My parents loved, cherished and supported my every move. Even when I was a complete asshole and spent more time away from them and the family than probably 90% of kids in the world. I have two amazing brothers that looked up to me and loved spending time around me. Friends that you could only dream about, who I still keep up with to this day. (and miss on a regular basis- you know who you are) I had teachers, coaches and mentors that believed in me, pushed me, encouraged me, and I worked hard for them in just about everything but math!

My Brothers and I. One of my favorite pics of us ever.

My high school art teachers: The Legends: Toby, Kim and Mario.

I think ever since my wife and I returned from the mission field in China I have changed, drastically. I lost something, left something, some part of me over there. I have really tried hard to be me since 2008, but there are broken pieces scattered across the globe that I can’t seem to recover. I have become more introverted (ask my closest friends, the old me is anything but), quiet, constantly disappearing in thought. I used to be loud, full of energy, even a little crazy at times (in a good way). Of course certain friends bring it out in me instantly, but life, it has not. These emotions, these thoughts I try hard to capture on canvas. These lost pieces, this tension that exists in aging memories, it separates the whole of me breaking off pieces that leave wounds to heal over time.

I have seen a lot in 40 years. I have been around the world, laughed and cried a lot, and never stopped dreaming crazy dreams. As Appleseed Cast “Hanging Marionette” plays in my headphones…

“And the stars are burning bright,

The smoke is rising high,

The stripes are on the street,

From the mountain to the sea.”

...I am beginning to share these stories on canvas with color and word, my adventure on this second half of life.

Ty Clark 5/26/15 Ty Clark 5/26/15

Tension. A new Body of Work.

I recently began work on a new series titled "Tension". In this series of work I created 4 large scale pieces ranging from 5 feet to 8 feet in scale. Have a look at those pieces as well as a video of me in the studio working on them.

I recently began work on a new series titled "Tension". In this series of work I created 4 large scale pieces ranging from 5 feet to 8 feet in scale.

We recently started working on my film "A Canvas of Sound" after a year hiatus and have been interviewing musical artist's about tension in their work or craft, where it exists, when does it exist and how they combat or work through it. I decided I would create a body of paintings that deal with the tension that I feel when creating.

The first piece of this series was titled "Tension Here" and was created out of the emotion between my art and myself, how that tension exists in a small space between my heart/soul and a piece of material that I struggle to give life to.

Tension Here: 60"x34" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas  $2125.00 — Tension Here: 60"x34" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas $2125.00

The second piece of the series is titled "/tenSHen/" which represents a "pulling tightly", the tension that I often feel inside myself as a creator. Always wanting to create, every waking moment, it builds and builds and pulls my mind away at times, and stretches my soul in a moments breath. The only escape or release from that tension is to paint.

/tenSHen/: 76"x40" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas $3150.00

The 3rd piece in the series is titled "Breathing Through", it was based on a short poem that I wrote while thinking through this body of work. " Breathing through dusty lungs to (2) create here admits this tension." This piece holds heavy truths for me. I have journey'd all over the world in my 40 years of existance and I have experienced heavy truths that exist in our world. With my own eyes I have experienced genocide, rape, hunger, poverty, child soldiers, communism, fear, hatred and many other atrocities that have shaped my soul. There is a tension as an artist to be able to shed light on the truths that exist in this world, that many people do not get to observe, discuss or feel. My lungs have collected dust from all over the world, and so I breath through those lungs as I create.

Breathing Through: 65"x72" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas $4800.00

The last piece in this series is titled "Tumbleweeds", it is also named after specific prose that I wrote on my studio wall prior to this series beginning, "My tension exists here amongst the tumbleweeds and distant memories, so I live on."

The depth of this piece is wrapped up in a literal tumbleweed. Tumbleweed: any of various plants, as Amaranthus albus, A.graecizans, or the Russian thistle, Salsola kali,whose branching upper parts become detachedfrom the roots and are driven about by the wind. As the tumbleweed gets blown across distance with the wind it gathers up other plants as well and scatters their seeds on its journey. There is much correlation to my life experiences wrapped up in this definition.

Tumbleweeds: 62"x94" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas $6000 — Tumbleweeds: 62"x94" Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas $6000

Here is a short video of me creating "Breathing Through" in my Austin Studio.

I truly feel that the Tension series has opened up new direction and confidence for me as a painter as my work evolves. I am currently working on ideas, sketches and studies for a new series titled "Healing Wounds". I have experienced many wounds in my life, seen others experience heavy wounding and I feel as if our society is struggling with decades of deep wounds that continue to plague our unity as a melting pot of other cultures and people groups. I am excited to start painting this week!