Richard Lyon 1935 - 2007       

In order to honor my father’s memory, I wanted to put up some of the drawings I found at his house after he passed away. I was first introduced to art and paintings because he was an avid collector. We had an eclectic range of art on our walls, everything from a dancing nude sculpture, a Bernard Buffet, to life size casts of people. He especially loved etchings and drawings. I really didn’t think about the pieces hanging on our walls until I had to take them home recently.

I knew that my father had attended the Art Institute of Chicago in the late 50’s but had only seen 2 or 3 of his pieces while growing up. I guess his dream of being a full time artist wasn’t a money making venture so he went into advertising. He started a company with a few other men, one of which became a advertising teacher at the American Academy of Art in Chicago . He never mentioned this part of his life, so after I saw a program on Georgia O’Keefe on PBS I signed up to take weekend classes at the Art Institute my senior year in high school ( unfortunately it was designed for affluent high school students and didn’t actually teach you how to draw.) I thought it was cool though and it opened me up to the upper class of the city and the world of Art.

I thought I would keep on that track at the Art Institute, but one day my father came home and told me that he had signed me up for summer classes at the American Academy of Art after I graduated from High School. This was the first time I’d heard of the Academy. I was completely nervous and felt that I was in over my head. My first two classes were Fundamentals (everything from composition and design to color theory) and Life drawing with Bill Parks. I remember the first day of Life Drawing class; I used this really soft dark thick piece of charcoal and pressed down hard like the class at the Art Institute taught me. Well, Mr. Parks kindly remarked on my process and how I should hold my charcoal lightly and use a gentle touch.  I felt stupid and embarrassed but he was so patient and kind that within 2 weeks I was a convert and knew that I couldn’t do anything else besides fine art.

Mr Parks and my father are to thank for that decision. Once I started going out with Scott, Mr. Parks was only teaching on Saturdays by then, so my father, Scott and I would make the trip downtown to draw every Saturday morning in his class. I once thought that maybe sitting next to my Dad and staring at a naked woman or man was a little weird, but it just seemed normal - especially since he had some avant-garde paintings at our house so I was used to thinking of the figure in artistic terms. Even after Mr. Parks classes ended we continued to share our love of art through the Palette and Chisel art club in Chicago , which my father was a member of as well as us.

Through art I got to know him better and the knowledge that he was proud of me makes me want to honor his memory. Unfortunately he threw almost all his drawings and paintings out, ( I remember beautiful pastel still lifes that are no more) these that I found were probably forgotten in his basement and as you can see by the discoloration and wrinkles they were not stored well. I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m showing the world, I wish he had had more confidence in himself. I hope you enjoy.