A collection of works by Floyd D. Tunson
Images are my passion – whether captured by camera or created by an impulse in my head. Each of my eclectic interests and practices weighs equally important in what I choose to do in the studio. I especially enjoy switching from one medium to a contrasting one because that sparks my imagination and helps keep my thinking fresh. Hence, the choice of photography and abstract painting for this show.
I’ve studied at the University of Colorado, Parsons School of Design, University of Denver – and I earned an MA Degree from Adams State College. Since my solo show at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in 1974, I’ve shown extensively in the region and was fortunate to be given a 40-year retrospective, Son of Pop, at the FAC-CC in 2012-13 and to be selected for a solo show to celebrate the opening of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery at the Ent Center for the Arts in 2018. In 2022, my Ascent show, in Denver, occurred in two sites simultaneously: Redline Center for Contemporary Art and the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. In the summer of 2023, my Universal Bunny sculpture was included in the Made in Colorado exhibition at Emmanuel Gallery, University of Colorado, Denver.
For photography, I usually avoid images of nature. I live in the magnificence of Colorado’s natural world, and I prefer to experience it physically, rather than through a lens or canvas, which can never capture the aroma of cedar and pine and the minute-by-minute changes in the landscape. I’m more drawn to something or someone unusual, quirky, and visually interesting because of the shapes, patterns, and hues. During my many trips to the Mississippi Delta, almost everything and everyone I saw fit these criteria. Likewise, on occasion, during my trips to Europe, and even daily in the streets between my studio and the post office in Manitou Springs.
Sometimes, a photograph invites a textured rendition, so I process it as a cyanotype or gum print; and, sometimes, I add a bit of hand-coloring.
For other black and white paintings, I’ve used a technique new to me, this one having sharper edges. Once I develop a series to a certain stage, I often consider “what if” – in this case, what if I incorporated color. Hence, the color abstracts in this show. This series I call “Geometric Organics.” Each of these works seems almost a different piece when viewed from various distances, so I encourage viewers to step close and step back. Overall, I’m grateful to have this opportunity to exhibit multiple genres in this gallery.
