Skin Tight
Skin Tight
The Guild Room
March 18, 2022 to April 30, 2022
In Skin Tight, artist and musician C.J. Pyle presents a group of drawings that showcase his eccentric approach to figuration. Pyle’s work is resolutely imaginative. Beginning in childhood, he developed a distinct visual style that involves using ballpoint pens, which are usually readily available, to create layers of ”knotted” marks on found paper elements, often the insides of LP covers. He uses these pens to create a dense metallic finish that imbues his acutely-rendered figures with an undeniable luminance. Largely self-taught, Pyle has developed a unique visual language that perpetually pushes creative boundaries, as well as a world of mysterious characters that unfolds according to its own internal logic.
Born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1956, Christopher John Pyle was a compulsive sketcher from an early age. Early influences include the cartoonist Basil Wolverton and the Italian caricaturist Paolo Garretto, though his creativity really grew during his time in the music industry. From 1975, and over the next decade, Pyle was the drummer for the Indianapolis band The Late Show, playing up to 300 gigs per year. During downtime for sound checks, or while traveling, he would create ballpoint pen sketches, perfecting his trademark weave technique.
Pyle began drawing cover designs for an Indianapolis news weekly in the late-1980s, catching the attention of clients such as Rolling Stone, Time and Sports Illustrated. He has also hand-illustrated album covers for Verve and Atlantic Records. Pyle has displayed his works in galleries and institutions throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan.
Born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1956, Christopher John Pyle was a compulsive sketcher from an early age. Early influences include the cartoonist Basil Wolverton and the Italian caricaturist Paolo Garretto, though his creativity really grew during his time in the music industry. From 1975, and over the next decade, Pyle was the drummer for the Indianapolis band The Late Show, playing up to 300 gigs per year. During downtime for sound checks, or while traveling, he would create ballpoint pen sketches, perfecting his trademark weave technique.
Pyle began drawing cover designs for an Indianapolis news weekly in the late-1980s, catching the attention of clients such as Rolling Stone, Time and Sports Illustrated. He has also hand-illustrated album covers for Verve and Atlantic Records. Pyle has displayed his works in galleries and institutions throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan.
From the late 1980s, Pyle started drawing cover designs for an Indianapolis news weekly, catching the attention of clients such as Rolling Stone, Time, and Sports Illustrated. He also hand-illustrated album covers for Verve and Atlantic Records. Pyle has displayed his works in galleries and institutions throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan.
Artworks
