Ralph Burke Tyree

Ralph Burke Tyree
American  (b. 1921)

Ralph Burke Tyree was born in Kentucky, but moved to California when he was an infant.  He had two sisters and five brothers and was the seventh child of eight children.  He received a scholarship to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.  He studied there and at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts. Between 1942 and 1946, he worked as a public relation artist for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Tyree was fascinated by the tropical flora and cultures of the South Pacific and painted extensively in Samoa, Fiji, the Gilbert Islands, the Marianas, and Japan before finally settling on Maui in 1964.  His work is filled with figures and portraits that are sensual portrayals of Pacific island people. In addition to working in oils on canvas, Tyree executed textured paintings on sand and velvet. Tyree was the protégé and contemporary of Edgar Leeteg, who is considered the father of Oil on Velvet art.