About
Cynthia Tipton
Lives & works in Knoxville, TN
When Working from Life
Cynthia is a personality collector and is captured and inspired by the energy that emanates from people. In her work she strives to render the essence of what makes a person who they are and communicate that which grabbed her attention in the first place. In our society it can be a struggle to be mindful and engage with one another. The speed at which we receive information and images is assaulting. Presenting a person in a way that is demanding of the viewers attention is challenging and rewarding. It forces them to slow down and allows them to peruse the nuances of an individual’s face or figure, there by allowing them to get to know that person on a level that they may not have otherwise.
When beginning a commission, she prefers to spend time with the subject, asking questions, being a witness to their lives in an attempt to get to know them and develop an opinion about their character. This allows her to make decisions on the use of color, line, value, size and dimension to impart a personal statement about who she believes THAT PERSON to BE in THAT MOMENT. For non-commissioned paintings she chooses personalities that seem to be larger than life and she tends to portray them that way. It’s almost a shame that they are confined within the parameters of the canvas or board. The paintings stand on their own or within a group, just as the individuals do.
When Working in the Abstract
Cynthia enjoys the challenge of creating an abstract environment. She finds it engages her design sensibilities and frees her imagination. Her movements are fluid and deliberate. Color, shape, technique often become the focus of the composition. She feels that exploring the abstract world strengthens and balances the figurative dimension for her.
EDUCATION
Belmont University BFA (Painting)
University of Tennessee BFA (Graphic Design)