Mike Lyon

Painting Drawing Printmaking Japanese Woodblock Printing Furniture Lighting

Cambodia 2 pen and ink drawing – 45 x 85 inches

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I’ll try to explain this series of drawings from S-21 prison in Phnom-Penh and the killing field not far away pretty soon, I suppose. The young men and women whose remains are the subject of my recent drawing were imprisoned by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the late 1970’s. Confined in S-21 […]

“Misty” pen and ink drawing 82 x 45 inches

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My friend, accomplished figurative ceramist Misty Gamble, teaches Foundations at the Kansas City Art Institute agreed to model for me wearing her powder-blue faux fur jacket.  She was super-animated and great to work with and for.  I don’t really know ‘why’, but it seemed to me that a deep green paper color would suit this […]

Exhibition: Personal Effects at Kemper Museum

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Personal Effects exhibition at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art March 23–October 12, 2012 This exhibition, drawn from works of art in the Kemper Museum’s permanent collection, explores the portrait and the still life as depictions of objects imbued with both personal meaning and wider cultural iconography. The memory of an activity stilled, a hint that someone […]

Carlos Pen and Ink Drawing 75 x 45 inches

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My friend, Kim Weinberger told me that her friend, Carlos Hernandez, had admired my work at the America Now and Here show and wanted to model for me – she introduced us over drinks and…  Well Carlos is a great looking guy and the following weekend he came to my studio to model for me. […]

pen and ink drawing of Miguel Rivera

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Miguel Rivera is chair of printmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute.  He is a wonderful teacher – gentle and thoughtful.  He has a great face and as soon as we met I asked if he’d model for a portrait.  You can learn all about Miguel and see some of his work on his web […]

Coffee Table for Jen and Chad

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My niece and nephew asked me to make a coffee table 24 x 24 inches and 14 inches high for their living room.  I think they really meant 24 x 36 inches, so I’m gonna have to make another it seems.  Still, there’s something wicked cool about this one — aluminum top and silver-gilded turned […]

Exhibition: America Now and Here – Kansas City

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Famous artist Eric Fischl and film-producer Donald Rosenfeld were in Kansas City to select work for the Kansas City Collection and selected my work. At the same time, Eric introduced the idea of America Now and Here and included my “Michael” drawing in the America Now and Here show the following year.