34th Annual Open Juried Exhibition:
Meet The Juror - Lyle Silver
Lyle Silver moved to the Northwest after studying
art at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and
graduated from Edison Technical School of Commercial
Art in Seattle. He left his fulltime job in the
commercial field to become a freelance courtroom
artist for local as well as network television news,
allowing much more time to express himself in
painting.
“I’ve been drawing and painting since childhood.
I think most artists never get too far from that
childish impulse to show off and say, “I did that!”
For me, there is real satisfaction in doing work that is
uniquely individual and challenging.
I grew up in a small town in Iowa and for a couple
of years, lived on a farm with an aunt and uncle.
This experience has undoubtedly contributed to my
appreciation for the simple, quiet areas of the earth.
The subject matter of my paintings varies a lot, but
landscape is a true love and I always return there.
Drawing and painting the human figure has also
occupied a large part of my artistic interest and is a
welcome change of pace from the other work I do.
These paintings continue to become more impressionistic
or abstract. I think this is a natural progression
for many artists, as emotion and mood become
the dominate theme.
I always look for a departure-something I haven’t
done before and my painting style reflects this, as
each painting has a life of it’s own. To grow, take
risks, explore, seek different approaches, and not be
satisfied or complacent—this, I think, is the greatest
challenge for an artist.”
“The artist’s life is a search for individual expression,
there is an underlying need to produce a
unique and personal vision or response. This pursuit
is challenging and frustrating, but always rewarding.
Sometimes I like to get out of my studio and
paint the quiet places of nature. I continue to have a
deep concern for the environment and what is happening
to it as a result of human interference.
I like to preserve and enhance the unspoiled
landscape in my paintings whenever I venture out
into their natural settings and I feel this is a valid
function for an artist.”
Lyle also conducts a drawing session every Sunday
morning at Art Not Terminal, downtown Seattle.
