Almost Eagles

Kalamazoo artist Karla Wyss Tye has spent her life observing and interpreting the natural world. She was inspired by Georgia O’Keefe and her first works were abstract watercolor paintings of plants and animals.

When Karla married William Tye, they began a foundry and Karla started casting bronze figures. Her sculptures were a curious combination of humans and birds, their spirit, movements and emotions.

“I knew this man once, that laughed at my birds…he said, birds don’t have shoulders!”

Both of Karla’s daughters are dancers and she draws inspiration for her birds from theirchoreography. Her figures are quirky, they move or dance together and seem to speak to each other. Birds are the ancient symbol of the soul.

“You cannot hide from your art. It is a visual message of who you are and shows your likes and dislikes. It comes out of life experiences and the ones more familiar to you”…birds in Karla’s world.