ARTIST STATEMENT
As a chronically mentally ill person my life involves rituals and habits designed to keep my symptoms in check. Mental illnesses are chronic, long lasting, leaving behind a pile of bottles, but they are also dynamic and constantly manifest differently. I think of repetition not only in terms of recurring forms, but in the nature of the process I use; crochet, punch needle embroidery, and rug hooking are forms built of thousands of stitches combining to make a whole. The piece “Citalopram 20mg, Wellbutrin 300mg, and Hydroxizine Pam 25mg,” refers to the chemicals and the dosages I currently take. There is a full year of my recycled pill bottles, 12, three medications stocked in three-month dosages, each bottle treated slightly differently. This repetitive nature can be taken as meditative and serene, or a compulsive way to avoid sitting still
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sean Tyler is a painter, muralist, and textile artist from Tulsa Oklahoma. Tyler graduated with her BFA in studio art from Rogers State University in 2019, MA in painting at the University of Iowa in 2022, and is currently completing an MFA at the University of Iowa. Tyler has shown work across the United States and has murals installed in Iowa and Oklahoma. Her work has been published in So to Speak, All She Makes, and Fiber Arts Now. Tyler explores issues around gender and craft, and believes candid cell phone photos can be high art. She also works extensively with printmaking, plant dyes, fibers, textiles, and bookbinding.
© Sean Tyler