Tyler, James Gayle

Tyler was born in 1855 in Oswego, New York. He was a marine painter and illustrator and maintained two primary studios: the first in New York City from 1882 through 1899 and the second in Greenwich, Connecticut from 1875 until his death in 1931 in Pelham, New York. He was primarily a self taught artist; however, he did have a period of time when he studied with Archibald C. Smith in New York City. He painted with oils on canvas and occasionally used watercolors.  He was a member of the Salmagundi Club, the Greenwich Society of Artists, the Artists Fund Society, and the Brooklyn Art Club. He had extensive exhibition records showing at the National Academy, the Providence Art Club, the Boston Art Club, PAFA, and the Brooklyn Art Association. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the Tokyo Museum; Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford , Connecticut; Omaha Museum of Art, Omaha, Nebraska; and the Mariner’s Museum, New York Historical Society. It should be noted that he painted every America’s Cup Race from 1900 to 1930. In 1930 he painted the Shamrock and the Enterprise off of Newport Rhode Island and exhibited them at the Union League Club. The paintings are characterized by the subtle effects of light he introduces, the use of vibrant colors, and his careful details. His works continue today as very popular with collectors with his paintings capturing a wide variety of ships, yachts, seamen, and coastal scenes both during the day and at night.