Mike Lyon

Painting Drawing Printmaking Japanese Woodblock Printing Furniture Lighting

Elizabeth – Six Experiments in Two-Color Drawing

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I wanted to close in on an optimal application of white ink from the new pens my stepsons Scott and Andy turned me onto at Christmas.  One great characteristic of this white ink is that it is not 100% opaque.  Subsequent layers of line further whiten earlier layers.  This semi-opaque  (or semi-transparent) quality is pretty […]

Danielle – developing two color drawing technique

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I’ve mentioned before that I’m fascinated by Renaissance drawings on tinted paper with light and dark inks or chalk and charcoal.  Here are some examples by Albrecht Durer painted in white and black with a brush on tinted paper: My kids know of my interest  — for Christmas Scott and Andy gave me a variety […]

Drawing in Silverpoint and Copperpoint

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While I began to study fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania, I became interested in Renaissance drawing, especially silverpoint drawings by Da Vinci which were illustrated in books in the Furness Building’s fine arts library.  I copied many in pen and ink and although I didn’t understand how they had been made, the silverpoints […]

Grass 2.2 large woodblock print

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I ran a second edition of four sheets from the sixteen blocks used in Grass 2.  I was curious to see the effect of transitioning from pale greens into blues into blacks (rather than the simple blues into blacks of the first edition).  Also, I’d run into registration problems which affected five of the eight […]

Grass-2 large woodblock print 22.5 x 72 inches from 16 blocks

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My lawn seems a near-perfect subject for drawings and woodblock prints.  Grass-1 was a drawing (not yet completed).  Grass-2 is a woodblock print — sixteen blocks cut two blocks to a sheet of 4×8 foot quarter-inch cherry plywood.  Grass-3 is another drawing under construction at the moment.  This format allows me to ink and print […]

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 […]

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!!!