Tyrel Johnson

Tyrel Johnson is an artist who has united his passion for sculpture and his love of woodworking to create artwork that is rich with meaning and design.

His contemporary use of wood paired with a traditional approach to sculpture has limitless potential. It is this potential that excites him the most. The youngest of 16, Tyrel grew up working with his siblings in his father’s foundry throughout high school and into his early 20s. The family is adept at the lost-wax foundry process, including traditional monumental scaling, sculpting, and casting.

By the time he graduated high school, he had helped sculpt and cast several monuments as well as many castings of well-known sculptors. In his early twenties, Tyrel moved into high-end construction, specializing in framing custom roofs by hand as well as fine trim carpentry. His construction company was always fully booked due to his ability to deliver high-quality service as well as his calm, honest demeanor.

Highly driven, he spent seven years studying anatomy, in great depth, during his late twenties. He then turned his focus to design in his early thirties. He knew he didn’t want to share his work until his skills were sharp, but more importantly, he wanted his method of expression to form organically. His dream of becoming an artist when he grew up held a personal caveat. That his skills would be such that he could express himself freely without sacrificing quality. He proceeds guided by his motto, “An artistic mind is only free when the hands are capable of executing the dreams they are asked to imitate.”

In the few years since his first show in 2018, Tyrel has won Best of Show and People’s Choice awards at Sculpture in the Hills 2021 as well as Best of Show-3D at the Out West Art Show 2022 and People’s Choice at the Out West Art Show 2024. He has also been featured in Cowboys & Indians March 2019, Mountain Living January 2018/January 2022, Big Sky Journal October 2020, Equestrian Living March 2022, Cowboys and Indians July 2022, Elite Equestrian November 2022, Western Equestrian Fall 2023, Elite Equestrian Fall 2023, and Western Art and Architecture Aug. Sept. 2023, Mountain Living Jan/Feb 2024, Elite Equestrian Sept/Oct 2024, Big Sky Journal Home issue April 2025. His work can also be spotted in the books Natural Elegance from WRJ Design in Jackson, WY, and Foundations from JLF Architects of Bozeman, MT. Representation: Equine Instincts, Ocala, FL; Ballard’s Fine Art, Sheridan, WY; WRJ Design, Jackson, WY; FOR Fine Art, Whitefish and Bigfork, MT; Jace Romick Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO

Read more about Tyrel in his Artist Spotlight.