Lynn Tsan
Biography
ABOUT THE ARTIST
At 17, Lynn Tsan went to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to create large bronze cast sculptures but was told in no uncertain terms she was too small to pour and was shuffled off to learn how to draw and paint. (Mid-'70s) Two years later, she walked away from the art world "forever," moved to California, married, had three children and somehow wrestled a degree from CSU Dominguez Hills and an MA in journalism from the University of Southern California.
A decade later, soon to be single, Tsan moved home to Minneapolis and discovered that the world of journalism there was closed to new grads. Work as a freelance marketing writer for small businesses was plentiful. Brochures, websites, fliers all needed images, so she taught herself Adobe Illustrator to create graphics and logos to catch the eyes of her clients' customers. When a business card became necessary, it had to be black and white (color was too expensive) and it had to be interesting. So the solution was 45, quarter-inch drawings that fit perfectly on a business card with name and number penciled in on the back.
That card started something. The little drawings became two square, color prints. The idea of combining small, distinct pieces of art into one cohesive whole was exciting. At the ripe old age of 48, she was making art again.
Another move, this time to Chicago, opened up the world of user-friendly fabrication tools. Those little drawings and many others have since come to life as large artworks in solid form using wood, cast acrylic, paper, board, paint and ink. The future portends much larger work in architectural spaces using new materials -- glass, metal, ceramic, concrete, etc. -- which promise to inspire new ideas and avenues in which to experiment and explore.
Lynn tsan
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Selected Works
Lynn Tsan is a Chicago-based, abstract artist who makes small, unique, square pieces of art. Each piece can stand alone, but when combined with others they create a multilayered, graphical collage consisting of anywhere between three to 100 separate squares. The sum being far greater than the parts.
Work begins as a series of drawings that are arranged, and rearranged, until a finished, unified work of art takes shape. The drawings become the map for a final piece made from whatever materials seem appropriate. She currently works in wood, ink, paint, and cast acrylic and is experimenting with new materials.
As of now, she fabricates her own work. Her ultimate goal is to create large scale work. The "Chicago" piece (112"x48") is a large example of a prototype for her vision of an even larger version in glass and metal.
Artist Statement
"Tsan delivers design in its purest form. Wielding a computer mouse as deftly as a painter wields a brush, rhythms of saturated color are built up from small segments that form large panels. A body of work complete within itself."
- Saran Hauser
