Tyler Warren

1. Favorite band(s): Listening to The Arcade Fire right now, but there’s so much good music; Elvis, Ray Charles, The Growlers, classic rock, and a lot of others in a wide range.

2. Favorite OC restaurant: SC Café

Phobias/superstitions: No hats on the bed.

3. Last book/magazine: New American Paintings

4. Favorite Movies: Harold and Maude, Being There, and Dances With Wolves

With a style that is an enchanting blend of 50s surf art, art nouveau and a bit of surrealism, it is unlikely to surmise that Tyler Warren—a fresh-voiced and laid-back 23 year-old—is the artist behind a collection of work that is at once sophisticated and relevant. His work ranges in mediums from pen and ink drawings to linoleum cuts, screen-printed images to oil paintings, and ranges in style from psychedelic to illustrative. Throughout the variations, Warren’s pieces all share a common element; the mood of idealism prevalent in his work is perhaps characteristic for a relatively young artist, but it also serves to link him with older generations who identify with the nostalgia his art evokes.

Growing up in the company of artists had a lot to do with Warren’s own artistic development. His mother was an artist, along with his uncle, who currently makes a living off his artwork in Pasadena. As if those two key figures in Warren’s upbringing were not enough to solidify his path as an artist, Warren is also great-grandson to famous Mexican painter Roberto Montenegro. Warren explained that he “began drawing at an early age, and never stopped.” With such deep artistic roots, one might conclude that in Warren’s case, it really is in the genes. “Art is just something I have to do—there’s no other way,” says Tyler.

Many of Warren’s pieces discuss surf culture, specifically that of Orange County. Warren began surfing at the ripe age of 9, and the beach quickly became a big part of his life. Several of the artists he has done shows with are friends from the surf scene. Warren also referenced Terry Martin, a well-known board-shaper in San Clemente, as a key influence in his journey as a surfer and an artist. Much of Warren’s life is rooted in surf culture, from friends to mentors to artistic influences, and it only makes sense that his art would reflect that.

While there is a substantial influence from beach culture in Warren’s art, it is far from being confined to the one category. Just as beach culture is only one facet of the multi-dimensional culture of Orange County, so is “beach art” only one dimension of a collection of work that explores people, culture and style in a purely unique and almost dream-like fashion. In his work, Warren seems to capture life and the activities that make different people really feel alive, through a golden haze. Highlighting an activity that makes him feel alive personally is a natural platform within an artistic journey. Warren modestly articulated, “I’m still so young, and still trying out different things.” Well, so far, so good.

Tyler Warren currently has work available for viewing at the 4th Street Gallery in Long Beach, and will have a show at Surf Indian Gallery in San Diego this summer. He is also working on a film called “The Tyler Warren Experiment,” that explores the relationship between surfing and art.