Valton Tyler
Just Pure Honest Fun
1970

About the Item

In The New York Times Arts in America column, Edward M. Gomez writes of Valton Tyler, "visionary seems the right word for describing his vivid, unusual and technically refined paintings, prints and drawings, whose style defies convenient labels. Abstract, surreal, cartoonish, sci-fi fantastic, metaphysical, apocalyptic-Baroque - all of these fit but also fall short of fully describing his art." (The Living Arts, June 13, 2000, p. B2) Valton Tyler was born in 1944 in Texas, where "the industrial world of oil refineries made a long-lasting impression on Valton as a very young child living in Texas City. He was three years old when the terrible explosion occurred there and can remember the terrifying confusion and 'the beautiful red sky and objects flying everywhere in the air.'" (Reynolds, p. 25) While growing up in Texas City, Valton's father worked in auto repair, and was known for his skill in mixing colors for paint jobs. After leaving Texas City, Valton made his way to Dallas, where he briefly enrolled at the Dallas Art Institute, but found it to be too social and commercial for his taste. After Valton's work was introduced to Donald Vogel (founder of Valley House Gallery), "Vogel arranged for Tyler to use the printmaking facilities in the art department of the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where the young artist essentially taught himself several demanding printmaking techniques. 'It was remarkable,' Vogel says. 'Not only did he learn complicated etching methods, but he was able to express himself powerfully in whatever medium he explored.' Vogel became the publisher of Tyler's prints. Among them, the artist made editions of some 50 different images whose sometimes stringy abstract forms and more solid, architecturally arresting elements became the precursors of his later, mature style." (Gomez, Raw Vision #35, p. 36) “Just Pure Honest Fun” is plate number 23, and is illustrated in "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler" with text by Rebecca Reynolds, published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972. In “The First Fifty Prints,” Reynolds writes, "Figures the artist usually sets in a roomier and lighter atmosphere are here scaled to fill the borders of the plate. They assume an unfamiliar weight and smoothness when compared to other works concerning the "pedestal portraits." One reason for this new treatment is that Valton worked this design from a detail of a large painting executed in 1968 and from early pen and ink drawings of these same forms. The painting also influenced the artist in his use of heavy outline, smoother surfaces, and large proportions, since these qualities existed in the different medium of oil he was recalling." Reynolds continues, "After transferring the design onto the plate and using aquatint, Valton sanded the background to achieve greater contrasts between figures and background. Still unsatisfied with the three-dimensionality attained, he reworked the line and added more detail to the surfaces, then burnished desired areas to enhance the contours and surface reflections." (Reynolds, p. 82) Aquatint and line etching on BFK Rives rag paper Paper size: 24 1/4 x 17 inches Edition: 5 Artists Proofs Imp. 50 Signed Prints Imp. Bibliography: Edward M. Gomez, "Futuristic Forms Frolic Under Eerie Texan Skies," The New York Times, June 13, 2000, page B2. Edward M. Gomez, "Valton Tyler's Techno-Organic Landscapes," Raw Vision 35, Summer 2001, pages 34-39. Rebecca Reynolds, "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler," published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972.

Creator:
Valton Tyler (1944, American)
Creation Year:
1970
Dimensions:
Height: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)Width: 11 in (27.94 cm)
Medium:
Rag Paper,Etching,Aquatint
Movement & Style:
Surrealist
Period:
Late 20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: VT-23-011stDibs: LU2571923283
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