Mike Lyon

Painting Drawing Printmaking Japanese Woodblock Printing Furniture Lighting

Chandler – 84 x 45 inches pen and ink drawing

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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

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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 […]

Exhibition: Daum Museum – Virtual Media: Computer-aided Art from the Collection

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Daum exhibit shows the computer’s versatile role in modern art June 23, 2010 5:19 PM John Hansen The Sedalia Democrat An artist using a computer to create art is nothing new, yet they are always using it to push boundaries. At the Daum Museum’s “Virtual Media: Computer-aided Art from the Collection,” visitors can marvel at […]

Michael – 74 x 44 inches large pen and ink drawing

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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!!!

Raechell Smith Essay

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Raechell Smith is chief curator and director of the Bloch Art Space at the Kansas City Art Institute.  She wrote the following essay for the printed catalog of The Kansas City Collection, an eighteen month rotating exhibition of work by 15 artists selected from over 60 nominations. Mike Lyon earned a BA from the University […]

16 Views of Peregrine Bunny 128 inch pen and ink drawing

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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 […]

An Upholstered Bench with Eccentric Turned Legs

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This month I built a bench for our living room.  It’s 18 inches high, 55 inches long, 19 inches deep and is the only upholstered furniture I’ve designed.  Linda and I picked out the fabric in advance and I intended my six legs to reflect the ovals design of the fabric. The six eccentric turnings […]

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

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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 […]

Exhibition: Drury University: Pool Art Center Gallery Exhibit

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Rebecca Miller (director of the Pool Art Center Gallery)  and I first met about twenty years ago while she was a student at the Kansas City Art Institute.  I was teaching karate twice a week there and she was one of my better students.  During the several years she practiced with me,  we became good […]