Robert Lysiak, Artist's Statement

Robert Lysiak Artist's Statement

Mountain Barn

Born on the lower east side of New York City and raised on Long Island, Mr. Lysiak has lived on a 50 acre farm in Trade, Tennessee for the past 28 years with Lynne, his wife of 35 years, Brandon, his 26 year old son, and uncountable dogs and cats. He has raised cattle, goats, hogs, chickens, and, regrettably, geese. Their house is bounded to the east by Snake Mountain and to the west by a wooded ridge rising several hundred feet above the holler. They share the land and air with the deer, hawks, wild turkey, skunks, possums, ferrets, owls and foxes that roam the place day and night. He has built additions on their 80 year old farmhouse himself, wired it, plumbed it, built sheds and repaired fences, doctored livestock, loaded hay and tobacco with friends and neighbors, been selected Johnson County Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1990, cut trees for firewood, cursed at tractors, trucks, and equipment that wouldn't start. He holds a Ph. D. in Middle English Language and Literature and has taught medieval literature and linguistics in the English Department at Appalachian State University since 1973.
 

Chanticleer

He has been painting in watercolor for over 15 years. His work reflects his personal experiences and range of interests. The variety of Appalachian life, whether human, natural, or mechanical, is sometimes rough, sometimes lovely but always vibrant in a natural landscape of superlative beauty. Transparent watercolor is an ideal medium for capturing the brilliant effects of light and color available here. While he enjoys using transparent watercolor pigment, he has begun applying it in other than traditional loose washes. A colorist, he chooses to apply pure, clean color with little dilution, thereby managing more effective control of paint and drying times. He employs few white passages which tend to restrict surrounding areas to diluted tints. Extreme value differences are kept to a minimum in order to emphasize color and intensity contrasts. Form is also simplified as color variation is increased in order to maintain focus on the essential subject matter. The use of transparent pigment in this manner still allows light to reflect off the white paper, maintaining the luminous quality of watercolor but allowing richer, deeper color at the same time.
 
His successful group and solo shows, popular workshops and demonstrations have earned him regional acclaim. Recent awards include Honorable Mention (1998) for "Truck," at the Virginia Highlands Art Show, Abingdon, VA; Best in Show (1999) for "Choppin' Weeds," at the Appalachian Art Show, Kingsport, TN; Award of Merit (1999) for "Twilight Tractor" at the Virginia Highlands Art Show; Award of Excellence (2000) for "The Color of Money" at the Appalachian Art Show; Award of Distinction (2000) for "Summer Maple" at the Virginia Highlands Art Show; Second Place Award (2001) for "Retired" at the Appalachian Art Show; Award of Merit (2001) for "Enraged" at the Virginia Highlands Art Show; Honorable Mention (2001) for "Trio" at the High Country Watermedia Show. He has been featured in Watermedia Focus Workbook, April, 2001. Recent solo exhibitions include "Country People, Country Places" (1999) in the Arts Depot Spotlight Gallery, Abingdon, VA; "All Things Appalachian" (1999) at the Appalachian Cultural Museum, Boone, NC; "Recent Watercolors" (2000) at the Kingsport Renaissance Center; the Ridgefields Country Club, Kingsport (2001), the Artists Palate in Blowing Rock, NC (2001); the Arts Depot Members Gallery (2001); Wilkes Art Gallery, Wilkesboro, NC (upcoming, 2002). He has conducted highly successful workshops for the Kingsport (TN) Arts Guild; The Arts Depot in Abingdon (VA); Cheap Joe's, Boone (NC) for the High Country Watermedia Association. His work is represented in private and corporate collections nationwide.

Buttermilk Road