About Tami O.
Tami Oyler is a native Californian currently living in the Indianapolis, Indiana. Best known for her work as an equine artist painting Thoroughbred racehorses, she now has expanded her subject matter to include just about anything with great light on it.
A lot of little girls paint horses, but Tami Oyler never stopped. Her childhood dream was to be a jockey, but she followed a more practical course, majoring in graphic design at San Jose State University. After college, she returned to the track, painting jockeys instead of becoming one. Not a bad decision for someone who says, "I'm really much too chicken to ride horses at forty miles per hour."
In 1999, Oyler left California for her husband's native Indiana. Living far from quality daytime racing triggered a personal Renaissance of sorts, as she was forced to explore new subjects and techniques. "When I only painted horses, my focus was so narrow I had huge gaps in my knowledge. I didn't know how to paint things like glass, or water, or a pepper. So the last few years have been about learning new things, filling in the gaps. I want to be a good artist, not just a good equine artist."
Quick Facts:
- Born: 1958 in southern California
- Education: 1976-1981, Graphic Design with a concentration in Illustration, San Jose State University, San Jose, California.
- Exhibitions & Awards: American Academy of Equine Art (AAEA) Juried Exhibitions, 1992, 1994, and 1995. Various awards, local and national.
- Media used: Mostly acrylics on paper, sometimes combined with pastels and ink.
- Artistic influences: Frank Ashley, Faye Moore, Eric Sloane, Peter Max, Wayne Thiebaud, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, Sir Alfred Munnings.
- Other interests: Wine, cycling, gardening, photography.
- Personal: Married.
Learn more about Tami Oyler's Thoroughbred racing art.
"High in the mountains of southern California, where I grew up, the light is extraordinary. At 4,000 feet - well above the L.A. smog - the air is crystal clear and golden. Everything is just a little exagerated at that altitude. Colors are more intense. The fierce sunlight bounces into the shadows and makes them glow with reflected color. All the secrets of color are revealed.
"I'm grateful to have lived with that amazing light for the first eighteen years of my life, because it taught me to see and paint with clarity."
