Mike Lyon

Painting Drawing Printmaking Japanese Woodblock Printing Furniture Lighting

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 […]

“Sara” 42×77 inch woodcut from 17 blocks

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The large (42 x 77 inch) prints of “Sara” reclining on her messy bed have been successfully completed — I selected 8 for the edition plus two proofs. There is some variation among the edition, the greatest differences being in the depth of the deepest tones behind the head and in the top background — […]

Aspen Grove 77×42 inch woodcut plus pigment application video

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You asked about how I mix and apply pigment… When printing very pale colors, I generally add pigment dispersion or dry pigment to rice paste or methyl cellulose, mix well, and then dab that onto the damp block and brush out. For more saturated colors, I mix a substantial amount of dry pigment into a […]

Leaves — Pulling the final impression of first 77×42 inch woodcut

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This morning I pulled the final impressions of my first 77×42 inch woodblock print using my new press… Not bad for a first attempt, actually, but I believe I can greatly improve with more practice! Registration appears to be pretty close to dead-on, thanks to paper maker Iwano Ichibei’s having rocked the paper mold lengthwise […]

Computer Carving Machine operational!

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The Large Press installation is almost done now! This week I’m cutting the final parts — the vacuum plenum for the press itself… This is a somewhat complicated task it turns out, but I believe I’ve got it figured out. I’ve successfully moved my ShopBot CNC machine from the 3rd to the 1st floor… After […]

Exhibition: McNeese National Works On Paper Exhibition

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The McNeese National Works On Paper exhibition of 40 prints was selected by juror Annette DiMeo Carlozzi from over 800 entries. My 30 x 21 inch woodblock print “Anthony” received the “Bank One Purchase Award” of $1,200, entered the permanent collection of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and was reproduced on the cover […]

Gift prints for Japan visit

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Three small prints from a single block set. After printing, each was cut out and folded into a fancy tissue, then enclosed in a gift envelope.  When we visited Japan, I presented these as small gifts to everyone who was kind to us — the reactions were usually a bit hilarious — I’m not too […]