THE INSPIRATION, THE BOR E

Upon arrival in Portland, OR, I rode the MAX train from the airport to Pioneer Square then hopped on a city bus bound for Lewis and Clark College. Absorbing the new terrain, I saw fresh, scattered Creep tags everywhere. The tags were relentless for miles. Most were black and white with smooth softball-sized sweeps at the tops of the letters. They were painted on unexpected surfaces like dumpsters, ledges, the backs of traffic signs, curbs, and viciously scratched into the glass of storefront windows and bus malls. The tags were all done by one of the most innovative graffiti artists I have ever met, Travis Wallender. Rest in peace. Portland, like Boston, was a small city, so Travis, like myself, maintained many aliases to keep police at bay. In addition to Creep, he wrote Erob, Bore, Hobo, and Oliver to name a few. Soon after my appearance in Portland, I met Travis. We hit it off instantly. We paired up like peanut butter and jelly. Like two cats chasing the same mouse that we could never catch.

One day when I was walking in downtown Portland, I looked up at a tall office building and saw BORE emblazoned on the windows of the fifth or sixth floor. I could not believe my eyes. There hadn’t been any scaffolding there. When I asked him how he managed to paint it, the answer I heard made me re-think the limitations of graffiti. Travis had invented the “Inside-Out.” He crept into the building and painted his name backwards on the paneled windows. This was my introduction to painting on glass. I took Travis’ idea to the next level with combinations of colors, shapes, and effects of layering. The vandal squad finally caught up with me and ordered me to remove the paint with one small razor blade. The process was strenuous and took days. Soon after this, I decided to move back across the country. Back home to Boston. My journey in the graffiti world continued after this for more than a decade in Boston and New York until I quit in 2010. My experience painting on the streets profoundly affects my work today. I’ve taken the mistakes I’ve made in my life and turned them into a more harmless form, into something that anyone can enjoy. These paintings on glass are dedicated to the kid that inspired me to think beyond the oblivion, Travis Wallender, the Bore.

Tyson Andree March, 2014

March 7th - April 20th, 2014

Tyson Andree (b. 1979) grew up in Brookline, MA, and learned at an early age about the graffiti art movement from his teacher in school. Andree quickly became enamored with the images he saw in the publications Subway Art and Spraycan Art, which opened his eyes to the graffiti around Boston. In 1986, he started to embrace the lifestyle. He began writing graffiti at age 6, and was fully immersed in the culture by age 14. He has been a prolific artist on and off the streets since. After graduating Brookline High School, he attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. He also received formal training workshops at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he encountered Shepard Fairey (OBEY) as well as other influential graffiti and fine artists. Andree was among the longest active graffiti writers in Boston’s history, but life circumstances encouraged him to stop in 2010.

After over 20 years of painting graffiti, Andree now solely produces Fine Art. For the past fifteen years, Tyson found solace in painting on canvas. Freed from the boundaries of letters in his graffiti name, he explored new gestural as well as tightly controlled compositions. The essence of Andree’s work is derived from the spontaneity of street art mingled with his own intrepid style. Recently, Andree has begun producing paintings on glass. The inspiration came from is experience painting the inside of abandoned warehouse windows. Since the works on glass are viewed from the unpainted side, the process requires the artist to work and think backwards. Realizing that the first lines will appear in the foreground and the final touches will emerge in the background when viewed on verso, there is little room for error. Andree uses a razor blade to scrape sections away and then repaints, allowing the layers to take on subliminal forms. The aesthetic of Tyson’s work combines figurative elements derived from graffiti with his own compositional vernacular. Our exhibition, The Process: Works on Glass (March 7th – April 20th, 2014), will unveil these innovative paintings by Tyson Andree for the first time.

Over the past few years of knowing Tyson, I have seen him transform from a street artist to a fine painter. Tyson does not look back in regret; rather, he embraces his experiences and credits those graffiti artists that taught him what he knows now. His work has transpired onto the stage of the contemporary art world, and his peers recognize him as a trendsetter.

Adam Adelson Director

Adelson Galleries Boston

Firework S 2013