Covid19 AiR Interview: Tyler Voorhees

Honoring those working through the pandemic with his art.

We are excited to share this interview with Michigan based artist Tyler Voorhees so you can hear his perspective on making art at home during confinement. Tyler spent 6 weeks as an artist in residence (AiR) at Green Olive Arts in 2019 making paintings about Jobs of Morocco. He also painted a large mural to honor the Moroccan weaver and his bobbin-loading wheel, the ‘naowra’. This post is part of a series of interviews with former Artists in Residence at Green Olive Arts, asking how this season of social distancing and postponed cultural mobility has impacted them.

Green Olive Arts AiR Interview with Tyler Voorhees

How have you had to flex or pivot your art practice in this unprecedented season of home confinement? What are you currently working on in your studio at home?

My main means of income from art (selling at art festivals) have dried up as most of the events in the coming months have canceled. So, to try and replace that income, I’ve chased down some commission leads and secured a few new paintings. Those are almost complete, after which I’ll begin creating some new work to try and sell online or at festivals in the hopes that we’ll still have a few in the fall to go to.

My ‘controller’ (wife) and I have also had a big project in the works for a while now involving a leap into sculptural work using old tools welded together. As the pandemic was making its way to our neck of the woods, we went out and bought a welder and, since then, I’ve been dividing my time between painting and piecing a giant sculpture together. There is a big art competition in Michigan called ArtPrize this coming September and it is our aim to reveal it there.

Finally, since my art is all about celebrating the worker in The Jobs Project, we’ve launched a series called Working Through the Pandemic which involves gathering stories from folks from all over about how their work/job has changed during the pandemic and how they feel about it. I use their submissions as inspiration for small works of art, which I then share with my followers on social media and send the original art to the workers that the art is based on. It’s been a very therapeutic endeavor for all parties involved and allows me to share the light and resources that I’ve been given with others.

Doctor – painting by Tyler Voorhees 2020

Millwright – painting by Tyler Voorhees 2020

What does creative community and/or social sanity look like for you right now? How are you staying connected and grounded?

I talk more on the phone than I did before and, of course, do the whole Zoom call thing on occasion. To stay grounded, I’ve been finding more time for prayer and meditation, which has really brought about an overall sense of quiet and calm over my daily life. Life is much less busy right now and despite the uncertainty, I’m feeling pretty darn good.

The Bar Owner – painting by Tyler Voorhees 2020

What insights about creativity in a time of crisis can you share with other artists? What have you been learning?

I think that for me, I’m learning about how to use the experiences you’re brought into as inspiration for your work. That might be a “paint your feelings” sort-of-deal for some, but for me, it’s about gathering the stories of people that I’m connected to and to let those drive my work. Artists have always been able to react and reimagine circumstances in surprising and moving ways, so I feel like this pandemic is no different.

Making art is basically breathing in your experiences and breathing out your reaction to those experiences. This pandemic has allowed me to take some deep, slow breaths and I’m feeling grateful for it.