Featured Contemporary Installation Artist + Sculptor

Tyra J is a sculptor and installation artist whose work explores transformation, identity, and ritual through earthen materials and symbolic form. Drawing on an interest in alchemy and natural architecture, she uses sand and a cellulose sculpting compound she developed, inspired by traditional cob and adobe techniques. Her works are built through processes of layering, carving, and erosion—each reflecting natural cycles of construction and decay.

Tyra’s practice views material as metaphor: clay and sand as vessels for memory and energy, plant fibers as threads of renewal, and sculpted surfaces as landscapes of human emotion. Her installations often function as environments for reflection, encouraging viewers to consider their own relationships to place, body, and belonging.

Before founding Tyra J Studio, she spent nearly a decade in project management and design, where she cultivated a deep understanding of spatial rhythm, teamwork, and intentional planning—skills that now shape her approach to large-scale commissions and collaborative projects.

Her major clients include Methodist Health Systems (Celina and Midlothian, Texas), Atrium Health (North Carolina), Vida Designs at Sawyer Yards (Houston), Sarah and Friends, Dani Boyd Designs (Los Angeles), and TIAA Corporate Center (Frisco, Texas). She currently serves as Board President for Friends of Darryl Ratcliff, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering artists and creative communities.

Through her collaborative extension, Indra Project, Tyra expands her studio practice into site-specific and interdisciplinary experiences that merge sculpture, performance, and design. Indra Project reflects her belief that art should be both reflective and participatory—an exchange that invites presence, empathy, and connection.

Leah Do Fine Art Consulting connects New York area buyers to the work of contemporary installation artist and sculptor, Tyra Johnson.