DAVID TYCHO
"Urban Composition #4"
David Tycho, "Urban Composition #4," 2015, acrylic on canvas, 48” x 30”.
David Tycho’s gritty urban scenes occupy a hovering space.
It’s easy to see the influence of expressionism, both abstract and figurative. But he says his work also appeals to a younger generation that interprets it as a form of cyberpunk. The term, which Tycho, 55, had to look up, refers to the aesthetics of dystopian futurism (think of the sci-fi movie Blade Runner, for instance).
Tycho’s interest in the urban environment, a change from earlier landscape-based work, came after he started thinking about living in Asia when he was younger.
Paintings in his most recent series, Urban Matrix, depict the deep gorges between highrises with a noir sensibility, as if seen through the rain at night. Typically, a slivered light adds depth and contrast, providing welcome relief for the eye.
These latest works are less colourful than earlier pieces. “Living in a big city – I lived in Tokyo for three years – it can be, at the same time, wonderful and full of vitality and optimism, and at the same time it can be very alienating and very isolating,” he says. “I think I’m exploring that side of it now a little bit more than I was before.”
Tycho has called Vancouver home most of his life, but has no gallery there, saying he earns more selling through his extensive personal network.
He markets his work online at tychoart.com, and will have a booth at Art! Vancouver, which runs May 21 to May 24 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
David Tycho is represented by the Rouge Gallery in Saskatoon. His work sells for $500 to $8,000.