Fine spray paint artist Tyrone Webb has created works of art with his masterful use of spray paint. After a 20-year career in computers, Tyrone now focuses on art that humbles him, increases his understanding of the world, and allows him to create every day.
AD: When did you become interested in art?
TW: As far back as I can remember, I was artistic in some way. Whether it was drawing my way through high school each day or making some surreal pen drawing on a pizza box at a friend’s apartment, I enjoyed dazing off into something I was making. I always used a pencil or pen. I never thought to paint in any way. With the work that I do with spray paint, it was a simple start. I woke up one morning about seven years ago and decided I was going to try making art with spray paint. It was a form of stress relief; therapeutic at best. Then I realized I could make what I was thinking of and I was getting good at it.
AD: Do you have an educational background in art or were you a natural artist without the “training?”
TW: Aside from the art classes you take in school throughout childhood, I never sought any formal training in art. So I had a moment where I was deciding if I wanted to go to art school or not, and at that time computers were just starting to really take off. I had a concern that if I was driven to create in mediums that didn’t interest me and on subjects I didn’t like that I may lose my interest in being creative. I decided to go to school for computers and that led me to a career that lasted 20 years.
AD: When did you begin the spray paint art on canvases?
TW: Traditional forms of spray paint art are generally done on glossy poster board, so that is where I started seven years ago. That wasn’t enough for me, so I started working on whiteboards (office whiteboards). Canvas did not become an option for me until very recently when a fellow artist had a bunch of canvas that they wanted to get rid of and I found the price very attractive (free). I have learned to prep the canvas for spray paint, and I find that it is so much easier to frame than wood boards; cheaper, too.
AD: A lot of your art has a landscape feel. Is that what you prefer to spray paint?
TW: I am humbled by the vastness of the universe. If I spent a week creating a world that was as random and untethered to the physical limits we experience every day, it is entirely plausible that there are at least 50 worlds in the universe, if not more, that will look exactly like what I thought I created from nothing.
I am a world crafter. When you leave your home, there are views you see every day. A creek by an office building, a path you walk your dog on, a sunset as you cross over a bridge to the grocery store, etc. To a fresh pair of eyes, they would be amazing sights and worth a picture. I am creating everyday views on other worlds; the ho-hum, mundane stuff that you see every day on that world. To us, here on Earth, they are fantastic and full of imagination and fantasy.
AD: What are some art tools/supplies that you can’t live without?
TW: For obvious reasons (the toxic nature of some spray paints) I guess I can’t live without my mask. I must have poster board around at all times. Some of my most magnificent cloud formations and skies are the product of a random tear of poster board and then using it to edge out the sky. Aside from that, I would say music is a must.
AD: What inspires you creatively?
I have thought about this long and hard for many years and over time I have thought certain things or certain people were my inspiration. I have come to accept that at the core of my efforts to create there are 2 things that inspire me: hope and women. Because I did not go to art school or immerse myself in the culture of art my whole life, I have had to learn certain immutable truths of creating art on my own:
- You will question yourself.
- Other people will question you
- You will be alone in your process.
- You cannot decide what people will like and what they won’t.
Hope is why I take risks with the medium I have chosen. As an artist all you do is hope. “I hope that I can afford to keep doing this.” “I hope that I can find a space I can create the paintings I really want to paint in.” “I hope my daughter understands why I do what I do.” “I hope I sell a painting.” “I hope someone can help me get to where I cannot.” “I hope this wasn’t a bad idea.” “I hope this works.” We all have our hopes as artists and each piece of art we create is our shot in the dark. The more shots you take, the better the chance you’ll hit a target.
Women provide something I cannot fabricate or imagine myself. The feelings and emotions that are created by interaction with the opposite sex are as alien as the worlds I create. They can be intoxicating, infuriating, liberating, humbling invigorating…I could go on and on. A simple conversation with someone that has a point of view I can never have is like a form of alien intelligence. The Muse has been a part of human culture for as long as, well, as long as we have been around. There is a reason for that and I am quite certain that what I create is like laying out breadcrumbs for my muse.
AD: What is your process for painting?
My process for painting is currently stunted. I started painting in a garage attached to the house 7 years ago. There I could paint really big things without issue. Since then, I have driven 20 minutes to stand in a 10×10 storage container in all weather for an hour at a time just to satisfy my need to create. Now, I paint on a very small balcony attached to my apartment.
I am held back from the very beginning of my process. I am dependent on good weather; and by good, I mean snow or rain can’t be falling down. When it’s cold I can only paint for minutes at a time. It depends on how long it takes for the cans to get cold. The balcony is small, so I can only work on certain sizes; even when all I want to do is paint something large, I cannot. Aside from the physical restrictions, my process is so very simple. Out of [the] hundreds of paintings I have made with spray paint, I can count on one hand the ones that were actually planned. My process is pure improvisation. I lay down the canvas or wood board and I stare at it. I first decide, “Is this going to be dark or light?” Then I pick up a can and literally throw on some paint. Then the weird part starts: I stare at it for a while. Trust me, its got to look weird seeing some guy on a balcony in a mask staring at a table for 5 minutes. It’s like a Rorschach test to me. I start to see something in the random spray on the board. I see a world in there and from that point on I spray layer after layer, day after day, to bring that world out. I am committed to completing that world before I move on to the next.
