Tyler Brandon, Born 1991 in Hollywood, Florida. Lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

In “Fire Paintings”, at Shelter, Brandon simplifies both composition and subject matter, depicting iconography from the natural world. Using primary colors with immediacy, the artist offers a reimagination of the western tradition of landscape painting.

Elements of nature become cryptic symbols that return the gaze of the viewer in their frontality. The compositional relationships of these icons suggest they correlate within a larger narrative, functioning together like hieroglyphics. Brandon uses these symbols to depict that which is eternal while at play, like the goddesses and gods of Ancient Greece and Rome.

For Brandon, the common denominator throughout this body of work is reduction, removing the excess until he arrives at the emblematic symbol. The artist explores the inclinations of our formative years, before one develops a strong sense of self. These basic elements are what unite us before we take on the weight of our society’s complexities.

"Basic Principle" Oil & oil stick on canvas 30 x 40

"Law of Attraction" Oil & oil stick in canvas 30 x 40

"Right Place, Right Time" Oil & oil stick on canvas 30 x 40