Agnes Tyson

Agnes Tyson is a figurative painter.  She makes paintings, drawings and collaged works on paper and board.  She arranges colour, tone, line and shape to create the illusion of space or flatness.  Her abstract compositions depict recognisable motifs that engage the viewer's memory, experience and imagination.

Agnes studied at the New York Studio School. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Art Honours Class I Degree and Masters of Fine Art Degree in Painting at the National Art School in Sydney, Australia; she earned the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and Reg Richardson Travel Scholarship.  After leaving art school, she received an Ian Potter Cultural Trust Grant. She was a finalist for the William Fletcher Foundation Rome Residency in 2014 and 2016.  She received residencies at the Cite Internationale des Arts (Paris) and Bundanon Trust (Australia).  Her works are owned by ArtBank, Saint Vincents Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation and private collectors.

Craftmanship lies at the centre of Agnes’ work. The human touch is evident in all stages from making boards, building frames, stretching canvas, collaging, painting and drawing.  When she collages, she glues canvas on to board and paints the board and glued canvas.  In her white paintings, she glues painted white canvas on to board; the board beneath creates the lines where the pieces of canvas meet. In her paper works, she paints sheets of cotton paper, cuts and glues the paper onto wood panels or heavy matt board.   She paints on linen and draws on cotton paper. She constructs spacial relationships subtly playing with our visual expectations.