Agnes Tyson makes paintings, drawings and collaged works on paper and board.  She arranges colour, tone, line and shape to create the illusion of space and flatness.  Her abstract compositions, depicting recognisable motifs, seek to 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 and plays with visual expectations.

Good-bye Cushings Island, Detail

Photography: Peter Jones

Studio Meanderings, Detail

Photography: Peter Jones

In 2016, Agnes brought her creative energy and passion to the kitchen. She intended to make meals that healed the body AND tasted delicious.

She cooks with vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, pure spices, fruits, wild foods, beans, nuts and seeds. She creates familiar dishes with new ingredients re-imagining the cuisines and spices blends from countries she has lived in and loved as well as from around the world.

Cooking without eggs, dairy, grains, meat, seafood, refined sugars and oils, soy, corn, peanuts, vinegars, caffeine and preservatives of any kind, she looks for ways to make every meal a celebration of life.

As everyone’s nutritional needs and preferences vary, her focus has turned to creating food frameworks that invite countless variations rather than single dish recipes.

For postings, see her blog, Food Frameworks.

Copyright © 2025, Agnes Tyson, Sydney, Australia, All rights reserved