Mixed Media (Ink wash on vellum, acrylic photo, chalk pastels)
Size: 12.5”x15”
Our Approach
A full life lived, and some unfinished business
Tyler Brown was killed in a car crash along U.S. Route 301 near Strawberry Lane, Middletown, DE around 11:30PM on Friday March 12, 2016 at the age of 17.
He had plans to attend Syracuse University in New York in fall and study architectural design.
Often times when someone passes away too soon, the common thing to say was that they lived a full life. Sometimes it is sincere, other times, less so. Tyler accomplished more in his time than just about anyone many of us know. He was only limited by his imagination, which was limitless. No matter the obstacles he faced, or the time crunch he was under, Tyler found a way. His greatest gift was his ability to bring people together. Sometimes they were his friends, teammates, relatives, or even complete strangers.
Our Story
Always in his element
When Tyler was a young kid his parents, Russ and Susan, took him on a trip to Disney World. During one night in the park, Tyler and his parents were on their way out of the park after a long and tiring day. Even though they had spent hours in the park, Tyler still wanted to ride the Dumbo ride. His parents were much too tired to ride any more rides and so they told him he could go by himself and they would watch him ride. Tyler immediately ran and got in line. Almost instantly Tyler began talking to other kids and making loads of friends. He even found a girl his age to ride the Dumbo ride with him. This story tells a lot about Tyler and the type of person he was. Tyler was outgoing and friendly. He could unite kids from all different backgrounds and knew how to bring a group together. Tyler was an example of the St. Francis de Sales quote, "Be who you are and be that well"
Tyler Brown, renaissance man
Definition: An outstandingly versatile, well-rounded person. The expression alludes to such Renaissance figures as Leonardo da Vinci, who performed brilliantly in many different fields.
Tyler was the living embodiment of a renaissance man. He was an artist, wrestler, rugby player, lacrosse player, camp counselor, student, community servant, and friend to many.
Doing it his way
In order to be accepted into Syracuse, Tyler needed a college level art portfolio in one semester. For most people, the dream would have stopped right there, but not Tyler. He took this improbable challenge head on, like he did everything else. He would stay after school, and spend as much time as possible in the art room. He even spent part of his christmas break at school finishing a piece for his portfolio. Against the odds, he finished the portfolio, and was accepted into Syracuse.
Looking at his artwork today you can truly see his creative and innovative outlook on life.
Leaf on Water
Medium: Spray Paint, torn Paper, and Acrylic Paint
Size: 16"x20"
Tyler spray painted the leaf orange and and the rest of the board black and green. He then used a clear acrylic to adhere torn tissue paper to the bottom to add a rock texture; from there he used acrylic paints mixed with the clear acrylic to create a translucent feel to complete the painting.
Reflections and Shadows
Medium: Pencil
Size: 12"x18"
Tyler drew this piece as a study of reflections, shadows, and frosted glass. The image contains bells, an ornament, a candlestick, a vase, and a decorative box.
Work in Progress
Medium: Chalk Pastels
Size: 11"x18"
By shining a light through an orange slice, a beautiful illumination effect is created and Tyler wanted to recreate this using pastels and black paper. He was inspired by the techniques of George Seurat for this piece so he attempted to create the drawing using individual dots and small lines.
A natural talent...
Surely these works of art are a product of years dedicated to perfecting his craft. Wrong. Tyler Brown created all of this after only one semester of structured art class at Salesianum. One could only imagine his portfolio had he started in Freshman year.