Abstract narratives by Justin Tuttle

As an artist and a designer, I often find myself in juxtaposition between being a conduit for culture and self-exploration while also exploring future realms of space and function for others. My art practice attempts to bring out awareness, critical thought, self-exploration, and hopefully a meaningful conversation.

A lot of my interest comes from little interactions, memories, life experiences, and living in Western society amalgamated with concepts from my education. I am an avid shower-sitter and cloud watcher, perfectly content in my own little world as I am often told. My favorite thinking space is the bus ride to and from work, a sociological laboratory. I enjoy the small moments of feeling like I am a tourist in my own neighborhood.

As a dopamine craved personality type, I enjoy exploring many different mediums, processes, and technologies to create. I enjoy blending mediums and techniques to see what happens. I often switch from analog pieces to digital, then move to 3d and then start the cycle over, never really feeling satiated with one process. I found it fascinating to participate in an online gallery space. I like the idea that I could continue the process, taking an image of the final collage, printing it, then collaging it again and again.

For the first three series, I used (analog) printed images that I (digitally) altered, and then (3D) composed them together. This series is formless, no unifying backer, the collages are constructed in this manner, each piece physically built and structurally bound, woven, and assembled to itself. These three pieces weave abstracted narratives of past working environments, ongoing medical conditions, and finding enjoyment from mundane routines.

Conversely, the second set of three is restricted to a 12” x 12” wooden substrate. Using a similar process of analog, digital, and 3d, these wood blocks became landscape canvases, capable of being read flat on a wall or flat on a table. The more that you investigate these landscapes the more that is revealed. This series explores previous lovers, economic insecurities, and global strife.

It's All On the Cutting Table

10” x 12”
Wood sticks, bass wood, chipboard, printed image, pencil, pen, spray paint, superglue

Daily Breakfast Journey

9” x 11”
Wood sticks,bass wood, chipboard, printed image, pencil, pen, spray paint, superglue

Why the Long Face

12” x 7”
Wood sticks, bass wood, chipboard, printed image, pencil, pen, spray paint, superglue

Constructing Love Letters

12” x 12”
Wood panel, bass wood, paint, white ink, black ink, pencil, pen, wood sticks, spray paint, chipboard, superglue

This Aint No Video Game

12” x 12”
Wood panel,bass wood, paint, white ink, black ink, pencil, pen, wood sticks, spray paint, chipboard, superglue

Walking on Line Graphs

12” x 12”
Wood panel,bass wood, paint, white ink, black ink, pencil, pen, wood sticks, spray paint, chipboard, superglue

Justin Tuttle is a U.S. based artist and designer, raised in California, who resides in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his Master of Architecture in 2021 and a Baccalaureate in Psychology in 2014. Tuttle has worked as an architectural designer for the last three years, in fabrications shops, and as a lighting designer. He currently manages the fabrication lab for the College of Design at the University of Oregon, does freelance architectural design work, and creates art.

Tuttle’s most recent design work was a design/build pavilion at the Pickathon Music Festival in Portland. His artwork has recently expanded internationally with an exhibition at the MERZ Gallery and art residency in Sanquhar, Scotland. He has had collage artwork published in SuboArt, Polemical, and Riot & Roux magazines and has shown in multiple gallery exhibitions within the Pacific Northwest.

Instagram: @tuttle.design

Website: tuttle.design

For pricing information on Justin’s work, please contact us.

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