Altadena based multidisciplinary visual artist with a focus on Black diasporic cultural storytelling

About the Artist

My name is Erin Williams-Tyler and I am a visual artist based in the creative mountain community of Altadena, CA. My craft is focused on expanding my painting and drawing practice into the realm of visual storytelling of diasporic history, cultural fables, and personal experiences in both representational and abstract pieces. Much of my inspiration is derived from research into oppressive histories of colonization, Black American folk tales and oral history, and my own family’s close relation to Black radical organizers in the 60s.

I create much of my work in black ink, charcoal, and acrylic paint, and on a variety of surfaces from lunch bags to outlet covers to found materials. My specialties lie in charcoal portraiture, landscape drawing and painting, illustration, and still life painting but I have found in the last few years that I’m beginning to favor illustration as a preferred method of storytelling!

I have taken up teaching private lessons to children between the upper elementary and middle school ages in the last two years to help children that are interested in pursuing art as a hobby or future career to develop personalized and structured practices early that will encourage both discipline and comfort with creative expression and exploration. I’ve also found that it’s helped me maintain my own discipline and willingness to play outside the rules of art in my practice!