Tysen Knight
Tysen Knight
Tysen Knight (born June 29, 1976) is an American artist.[23][3][3][25][42][65] He is most popularly known for his street art based on Buddha's teachings and pop art sense.[4][5][6] Tysen is inspired by the works of famous street artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.[43][57] His art style also reflects the styles of Pablo Picasso[44] and Andy Warhol.[26][27]
Early Life
Tysen was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[45] and grew up in New Jersey,[28] where he finished high school.[1] He moved to Philadelphia after high school.[58] Unlike his other two siblings, he decided to skip the idea of going to college and obtained his barbers' license instead.[7] and worked with some of the region's top athletes.[29] Tysen spent a few of his years in New Jersey homeless, dwelling paycheck-to-paycheck.[47] He moved to California to pursue his passion in the arts[35] and currently resides in the Palm Springs Area.[36][67]
He discovered his potential in art around the ages of 10 to 13.[48] As a young kid, Tysen would spend time alone in his room drawing his favorite baseball players.
He would take his notebook paper and school pencils and re-create baseball cards of his favorite players.
As he got into teenage years, he discovered spray paint and took to the streets to create art with his friends.[49] As a teenager, Tysen communicated his artwork through graffiti on walls and vacant buildings.[9] He was hugely inspired by Andy Warhol.[10]
From an early age, Knight got hands-on drawing cartoons and airbrushing them on jeans for $25.
He also created business logos.[7]
Career
The production of the documentary, The Art Of Hustle, began in October 2016. Tysen worked sixty hours a week at a barbershop, and when he got days off on Sundays and Mondays, he filmed the documentary for nine months straight.[13]
Tysen is also working on a house project documentary to provide shelter for the homeless in collaboration with the Street Life Project.[52]
He has also starred in "Epic Movie" and "Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above."[21]
Knight appeared on Desert Living, NBC Palm Springs in an interview.[22]
Knight joined The Beer Connoisseur for an installment of Crafty Celebrity Stories, which features the best tales of ale and more from leading actors, celebrities and persons of interest.[30]
Knight was responsible for a project, "Street Bench Art Pilot"[59] conceived by the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission, the City Council Downtown Subcommittee, and Main Street Palm Springs,[60] which involved decorating the benches throughout downtown Palm Springs.[69] He created a series of benches with the theme, "Urban Desert Palms and Icons" on Palm Canyon Drive between Arenas Road and Museum Way. The icons included Garland, Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Frida Kahlo, Lucille Ball, and Elvis Presley - all chosen for their connection to Palm Springs.[33]
Knight launched his latest collection of paintings and drawings on October 23, 2019, at www.RobertJamesGallery.com.
The works are part of his new Masterpiece Mash-Up Series where he re-imagines paintings from artists such as Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and Grant Wood.[34][38] The collection debuted in NYC (Time Square) in the last quarter of 2019.[63]
Philanthropy
Knight has worked with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the less fortunate.
He has also been involved in activities like preparing meals alongside Midnight Mission for the homeless and mentoring young ‘troubled’ kids to pursue arts at no cost.[31]
Knight partnered with The Palm Springs Unified School District and the BAM (Boys Art Mentorship) program in California and utilized his brand of street art to inspire and mentor at-risk youth.[41] [64] [68] During this mentorship program, Tysen engaged students with an interactive program and taught them how to express themselves artistically, which has in return seen the drop-out rate of men of color in these programs reduced.[32]