William Tyler (American, b. 1954)

Photo courtesy of Creative Growth

Since 1978, Tyler has been working with his brother Richard Tyler at the Creative Growth Art Center, an art education center for adults with disabilities in Oakland, California. The brothers are extremely close, and have become known locally for dressing alike and wearing matching hats almost every day. Twin clocks and twin calendars are common symbols in Tyler’s drawings, documenting the passage of time and highlighting the importance of his life-long relationship with his brother. Tyler’s drawings are highly detailed and rendered mostly in pen or colored pencil, lack perspective and depth but possess a childlike view of the world. Here, a swimming pool is depicted with one swimmer and several spectators. The two men with hats, looking through windows, could represent the twin brothers, perhaps peering onto a scene evoked from their past.