Artist Spotlight

The Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts

   
Painting          Sculpture          Drawing           Photography           Graphics
 
Peter Tytla
  
   
 


Artist Statement:

For more than 25 years I have been creating photographic collages. Piece by piece I create the scenes as a painter does. It takes me a maximum of five weeks and 300 to 400 separate, original photographs that I have taken, to complete one collage, from a single blade of grass to the large sky, these are all considered separate applications or photographs. As a result I have devoted thousands of hours, acquires thousands of photographs, and traveled thousands of miles, all because of my undying love of old automobiles, especially the forgotten ones of the antique and classic eras.
Rather than expounding on the sad, however, I prefer to direct my collages to the humorous because, by and large, we are all much more receptive to humor.
Once I have chosen the elements I need for a piece -and that’s a subliminal process in itself- I start to cook. The rest is instinctive and intuitive. A 20”x30” blowup (from a 35 mm negative) will be the sky. After that, 11”x14”, 8”x12”, 5”x7”, and 4”x6” prints (along with the original 31/2”x5” prints) are used for cars, people, buildings, animals, objects, foreground perspective and final detailing.
Each element has to be carefully outlined to avoid seeing the scissors cuts, and then glued in place. Often a finished work includes a great car from New Jersey, an interesting character from Connecticut, a ravished outbuilding from New York State, Wyeth-type ground from New Hampshire, or a faded sign from Maine.
I find many if my elements by word of mouth, eventually photographing new material for my future works.

Peter Tytla, photographic collages are 30" x 40"

  


The Pileup, March 2006

They're still talking about the 14 car pileup that happened back in 1946 at the Junction of Rt 2 and Rt 148. Since Corky O'Toole's yard was right down the road the insurance people told him to take the cars until the case was settled. But, because of insurance SNAFUs the case was never settled, so Corky is now making a good living selling parts off the junkers. He just got $6.00 for the front headlight from the Graham.

The 14 cars in the pileup are: 33 Ford, 34 Graham, 35 DeSoto, 36 Ford, 34 Chevy, 37 Plymouth, 33 Plymouth, 37 Pontiac, 38 Chevy, 35 Studebaker, 36 Plymouth, 37 Ford, 38 Chevy and 27 Buick.
Other cars: 35 Chevy, 31 Plymouth, 30 Ford and 34 Chevy Nose Clip,
1 pedal car
Animals: 1 dog, 1 kitten, 1 seagull, 5 cows

  
 

 


Bare Bones, (rcycling facility), January 2007

Melvin Dort, a descendant of the DORT Motor Car company always wanted to own a true, no-frills bone yard, so at age 47 (back in '63 or '65) when he got his inheritance he bought old man Tronsky's yard outside of town off
Rt. 3a. Melvin said once he got it that it was a hotbed of activity, and that he was always on the lookout for more "bones". He put the words RECYCLING FACILITY on his sign, but he never recycled anything because he thought his bones were just too valuable for that. I told him he should advertise in Hemmings, but he thought the was too modern for him. He said he was restoring a '33 Reo Royal and a '40 Graham Hollywood, but nobody has been able to verify that or seen the cars. I often wondered if he was even telling the truth. Probably not!

Cars: 33, 37 & 39 Fords; 22, 40, 47 Nashs; 3-36, 1-39 Plymouth, 28, 28, 40 Chevys; 35, 37 Dodges; 30 Caddy, 29 Chrystler, 29 Gardner, 27 Buick, 34 Graham; 31, 34, 35 Ford Trucks. Emblems: Oakland, King, McCormic-Chalmers, LaFayette-Nash; Hupmobile, Stutz.
Animals: 1 Kitten, 1 Deer Carcass; One Toy airplane.

 

      
 


Contact:

E Mail: petertytla@sbcglobal.net

Web Site: www.petertytla.com

Box 43
91 Boston Post Rd.
East Lyme, CT 06333-0043
860-739-7105
   

 


On Shiela's Terms, March 2007

Shiela's Chevrolet-Buick dealership is the most successful dealership in GM's history. No other dealership has come close to selling as many cars. Shiela's demand for more cars is much like her demand for more men (customers). She simply can't keep enough in stock and goes right through them. Her special way of luring customers into her showroom is to be very relaxed, laid back and of course naked. Then she immediately sells a car and it's always on her terms. But isn't that the way it always is? On Shiela's terms?

Cars: 27, 29, 30 Chevys, 28, 29, 30, 31 Buicks, 29, 30 Caddy's, 32 Packard Animals: 2 Kittens, 1 cat, 1 dog, 1 bird, 1 Toy airplane.

 


 

  


1/2 Lit, February 2006

On a dramatic Fall day with lots of red tones, the boys are out back enjoyin' themselves and having a few "POPS" talkin' about everything from women to automobiles. They sit amongst a bunch of old headlights, taillights, wine and beer bottles; as their talk progresses so does their alcohol content and soon between the lights and the booze they become 1/2 LIT.

Cars: 33 Plymouth, 39 Ford, 37 Olds, 38 Pontiac. 29 Chevy, 38 Ford truck, and 37 Packard Nose clip
Animals: 1 cat, 2 dogs, 2 birds
Emblems: Ford, Plymouth