About Tyson

Tyson Evans, born in May 1982, achieved great things against great odds. From birth, he was unable to bend the top knuckle of his right thumb and had a considerable tremor in his right hand. At age five he underwent heart surgery which was so successful that he was able to go on to represent his school in athletics and cross country running.

At nine, Tyson won a scholarship to study at the Queensland Art Gallery, however after one year, he decided to continue his study under the tutelage of his mother, a private art teacher. He enjoyed working in pastels, oils, acrylics and with water colour pencils.

Tyson exhibited and demonstrated painting techniques at art shows and he won several prizes at the Redcliffe Show and with the Redcliffe Art Society. The Blue Iris Art Gallery at Palmswood recognised his outstanding talent and regularly displayed and sold his work, and five of his works were accepted by the Call of the Bush Gallery at Nambour. He held a solo exhibition at the Peninsula Coffee Lounge at Kippa-Ring and exhibited at the Scarborough Fair Art Gallery. At the 1995 Caloundra Arts Festival, he met an established wildlife artist, Mr Michael Oberhofer, who encouraged Tyson in the pursuit of his dream to become a recognised artist. In April 1997, he began to concentrate on becoming an exhibiting member of the Wildlife Artist Association. Tyson’s work ‘Sandhill Crane (Unfinished)’ was to be part of his submission for membership and was subsequently hung in their next show posthumously.

Besides a promising career as an artist, Tyson’s achievements were extraordinary. He wrote stories and poetry, was involved in speech and drama and was Dux of Grade 9 at Grace Lutheran College. As a sportsman, he represented his school in athletics, held the Royal Life Saving Bronze Medallion, was a member of the college open rugby league team, and a member of the Clontarf Beach Life Saving Club. He was a keen kayak paddler and a member of the Newport Waters Canoe Club Junior Team which won the Brisbane Valley 100 race in 1996. He also achieved honors in pianoforte, a Certificate of Distinction in the Theory of Music and enjoyed playing the clarinet.

Tyson was a Lance Corporal in the 3rd Redcliffe Boys’ Brigade, a Sunday school teacher at Clontarf Beach Baptist Church and a Duke of Edinburgh Awardee.

Tyson, was a remarkable young man, who celebrated life, however his life tragically ended in August 1997 when he was killed.

Tyson’s life was full and productive and in the short time he was with us produced over fourty(40) complete artworks, and in 1998 these were exhibited in the Recliffe City Art Gallery for the public’s viewing. The Tyson Evans Youth Art Scholarship was then launched as a tribute to Tyson and as an encouragement to other young people in their artistic careers.