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Subtly and whimsically, Brother Timm tinges his relational art with a tribute to the
Mannerists
Published by Professor Les March 23rd, 2008 in Fine Art, Pop Culture.
Tags: brother timm, disorderly house boutique, mannerist, mechanized records, patch
together, relational art, Salt Lake City, timm paxton, toys as art.
At first glance, one would understandably be perplexed by Timm Paxton’s affinity for
Benvenuto Cellini, the 16th century Italian High Renaissance artist, sculptor,
goldsmith, mercenary and writer. Paxton — or Brother Timm, his preferred nom de
artiste — has, among other things, gained a good reputation for recycling Fisher-Price
toys into customized small pull toys as well as vinyl Munnys decorated with personal
graffiti art (available for sale at Mechanized Records on the west side of downtown).
His toy designs also are featured at Patch Together. (Below are a tattoo on a Kid Robot
Munny and Mask of Christ, oil on canvas.)
Yet, Brother Timm’s artistic experience spans much wider, echoing contemporary
variations of the diversified Mannerist perspective exemplified in the work of artists
including Cellini, such as his 1540 creation of a salt cellar of gold and ebony featuring
Poseidon and Amphitrite — water and earth, respectively in uncomfortably positioned
elongated forms. Brother Timm has worked in many media — metal, sculpture,
jewelry, calligraphy, silversmithing, wood, tattoos, and graphic art. And, he has created
nine board games.
Much as the great Renaissance artists such as Da Vinci were influenced by the
potential of science and machine, Brother Timm, 37, values the scientific approach,
likening his creative process to that of the expert in reverse engineering. “I see
possibilities in every imaginable canvas and material,” he says, adding that he now
comfortably avoids the risks of his youthful days in Portland, Oregon. For example,
authorities were far less than pleased with the young artist when he decided to
decorate a courthouse dome for his 20th birthday. (Below are Anke of Incubus, mixed
painting and German silver, and an untitled work currently sitting an easel in his
studio.)
The Mannerist perspective is firmly embedded in the recognizable, characteristic
touches which define Brother Timm’s art. Artificiality is a central principle to the
Mannerist and the stylistic labeling as such cannot be neatly categorized. For him, his
canvases run the gamut from toys to T-shirts and to Vespa scooters, Peugeot
mopeds, and even 1960s-vintage Alfa Romeo cars.
On June 20, Brother Timm will have a major art installation exhibit at the Disorderly
House Boutique on 300 South, between 200 East and 300 East. He also plans on
several studio shows throughout the spring.
