Exposed

by Travis Flack Allen (Ty Joseph, 2021), Acrylic on Canvas, 36x36 inches. Let's start from the beginning. The way back, the moment of inspiration that got us here. Before paint ever touched canvas, a young Israeli kid - maybe 12 or 13 - was watching Manhattan in his room, taking it in from the vantage point of someone with a newfound budding identity. Not only was the young Ty Joseph enamored with the work and character of Woody Allen, he also did not disapprove of his costar Mariel Hemingway, as he puts it. Manhattan and subsequent movies were a blueprint to shape Ty's identity as an American. Woody Allen's character (a writer, a petty crook, a self-deprecating pragmatic, a humble underdog who charms beautiful women) ...

A Studio 54 Themed Party Celebrating Tyler-Marie's 26th Birthday by Travis Flack Instead of hopping off the M12 Manhattan-bound bus and briskly walking through the acrid city heat to a sweltering nightclub, I found myself careening through Mullholland Drive, windows down, playing 70s classics, in prepartion for time traveling back to when Studio 54 was in its apex. The occasion was to celebrate director/writer/producer Tyler-Marie Evans 26th birthday in full disco splendor. I arrived at artist Ty Joesph's house just after nightfall, parking against a row of party goers packed in like sardines on a bend in the road. A coyote welcomed me as soon as I locked my car with a pitchy bark and quick scamper. Finding the house, I let myself in and wandered inside. Our guest of ho...