Page 43 - ABILITY Magazine -Cedric Yarbrough Issue

“I’m still fighting” - Leon McKenzie
A lot of people were shocked when Robin Williams com- mitted suicide. They might say, “What does somebody like him have to be down about?” They clearly don’t get it. Maybe it’s a lack of education or understanding that those feelings come from something within.
Martirosyan: Yes, there is plenty of ignorance. So you sketch them in pencil first and then oil paint?
Tyrimos: Yes.
Martirosyan: When did the decision to make the pencil markings more prominent come in?
Tyrimos: It was a progression. I thought they were going to be full portraits; I was going to bring in some of this neon color that I use in model work and backgrounds and everything else. But as I was painting them, I sup- pose that’s what being an artist truly is, you’ve got to trust the process, let things evolve and say, “Okay, this is more impactful for what I’m doing, for the purposes of this show.”
Martirosyan: What’s interesting is that, especially now that there’s more of a trend toward bright colors, stripping it down like this is unique.
Tyrimos: Thank you.
Martirosyan: I’m curious, Andrea. Have you always done portraits?
Tyrimos: No. Years ago I would do the odd one, but I don’t consider myself a portrait painter. I do a lot of landscapes, kind of urban London gritty landscapes with a lot of neon and loads of color. This is very different.
Martirosyan: —I’ve seen some of the brick works you’ve done, they are wonderful—and the one with the giraffe, I forget his name?
Tyrimos: Eddie the giraffe. That’s more recent work. I do this camouflage thing where I take a blank canvas, put it on the street, and then paint the background of the street onto it, and you can then take away the canvas as a way of immortalizing the street. Street art meets fine art. Very different.
andreatyrimos.com @bipolarpicasso
ABILITY 43