The Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts is pleased to announce its first ever solo art show, “Nature’s Prospect,” featuring the work of local sculptor and painter Tyler Schrader. The show will open with a Meet the Artist Reception on Thursday, May 24, from 6-8 p.m. at the Nigra Arts Center, 2736 State Highway 30, Gloversville, and run until June 26.

Tyler Schrader is an up-and-coming artist from Johnstown. He graduated from Johnstown High School in 2013 and from Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s Fine Arts program in 2014. In 2017, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the State University of New York at Purchase. He works out of his studio in Johnstown, producing drawings, paintings and sculptural woodworking pieces. Past solo exhibitions featuring his work include “Blue” at the American Hotel in Sharon Springs, September 2014, “Blue” at the SVAN Arts Gallery in Northville, January to February 2015, and “Equal Matter” at Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s Perrella Gallery, December 2016 to January 2017.

When Schrader began his artistic career as a painter, the work he produced was frequently monochromatic and abstract, with bright colors and fluid, organic forms encased in rustic, sculptural frames. Now, he works in reverse: he builds wooden forms and paints using them as a guide. His figures appear to flow naturally in labyrinthine, garbled patterns. They are open-ended, leaving a cloudless path for discovery.

Schrader draws inspiration for his work from the way ecosystems function in nature. He emphasizes the importance of natural cycles through his art, shedding metaphorical meaning with his material and process. He sees each piece as a personal ecosystem that functions in its own realm.

“Within this process, I’m able to achieve true self-result, something special,” Schrader said. “This is the form of the collaboration that takes place between myself and the material.”

The public is welcome to view this show throughout its run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. The admission fee for the gallery is $5 per person. Members of the Nigra Arts Center are exempt from the admission fee. For more information, please call (518) 661-9932 or visit www.pncreativeartscenter.org.