“Joel” Large Scale Pen and Ink Drawing in White and Black Ink on Tinted Paper

REALLY love this one! I was tempted to title it “this is not Joe’s face” after Magritte’s famous not-a-pipe. In 1991 I was in Japan with a group of US, Canadian, and European karate guys led by Tsutomu Ohshima.  Ohshima Sensei organized a fabulous and exhausting tour which included visits to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto — [...]

Grass3 30 x 58 inch pen and ink drawing

Grass3 was completed in August, 2010.  30 x 58 inches it took took an inordinately long time to draw. http://mlyon.com/wp-content/gallery/grass3/2008_08_grass3_588x400.jpg

Chandler – 84 x 45 inches pen and ink drawing

Chandler is an old high school friend of my children.  Last year I ran into Chandler and was struck by his great head and asked if he’d model for a portrait.  He agreed and I phoned and emailed him more than once or twice in an effort to schedule him into my studio.  He never [...]

Rousseau – 75 x 45 inch pen and ink drawing

Our good friends Ed and DJ  were having dinner with us at a nice Westport restaurant and Rousseau served us (she later recalled that we were a ‘good’ table).  She was so pleasant and with such a mobile expression and well defined features and that wonderful tuxedo-esqu blouse…  I wanted to use her for a [...]

Michael – 74 x 44 inches large pen and ink drawing

October, 2009, Michael Rees was one of 15 artists invited to Kansas City by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art for their 15th Anniversary Celebration.

Michael is a great guy, established artist, extroverted, outspoken, and a bit larger than life. We’d made a date for him to visit my studio and shoot sources for a portrait while he was here, and I thoroughly enjoyed him! After the shoot I went to a huge breakfast with Michael, his wife Mary Ann Strandell, and Chris Brown (another guest artist in town for the event) at YJ’s, the cozy cafe next door to Birdies (Peregrine Honig’s lingerie shop)… What a great morning — I don’t get out much — this was so VERY stimulating!!!

Jennifer – large pen and ink drawing 85 x 43 inches

Images of new 85 x 43 inch pen and ink drawing of dancer and choreographer Jennifer Owen completed June 13, 2010.

16 Views of Peregrine Bunny 128 inch pen and ink drawing

An unusual edition of three original pen and ink drawings plus two proofs — drawing began in late April and finished up in late May.  Can drawings be prints? These are not at all printerly, but there ARE three identical (in the sense of an edition of prints) original drawings, each one measuring 18 x [...]

Peregrine 90 x 38.5 inch painting in acrylic and sumi on gilded paper

Today I completed a LOOOOONG project — the painting of fellow artist Peregrine Honig in black and white acrylics over sumi-painted and gilded paper.  It’s somewhat larger than life. I first painted the paper black with sumi ink.  Then I gilded the clothing area in silver leaf.  My plan was to paint black on the [...]

Topper 79 x 38 inches large pen and ink drawing

Linda (the model’s spouse) phoned me last summer to say that she and her husband LOVED my drawing of “Arthur” which they’d first seen at the Kemper Museum’s Backstage Pass show, and again later at Arthur’s home.  She wanted to give her husband, Topper, a portrait (of him) for his birthday.  I thought Christmas might [...]