“Great things are
done by a series of small things brought together.” ~ Vincent
Van Gogh
 |
| Barbara Lyman's tree collection as it hangs inside the Peteetneet Art Gallery. |
A hiatus ended this year for Northern Utah County artist, Barbara
Lyman, her paintings once again gracing shows and galleries
statewide. And some of the work she produced since her interim is
a boon to Peteetneet visitors. Lyman's collection of trees,
painted in faintly wistful hues and layered contours, is on display
in the cultural center's main-floor Art Gallery through the end of
February.
With an eye for the extraordinary, much of Lyman's previous artwork
was composed of layers in dreamlike vision, brought
together through a mixed-medium technique. It is a style that Lyman
has individualized by incorporating antiquated pictures, the middle
ages among her favorite epochs, she feels compelled to expand upon.
Lyman said she finds some inspiration in her art books. Images that
draw her in are then incorporated in collage-style in such paintings
as “Persephone” the mythological goddess among them.
It hangs in the art room inside her American Fork home, its
frame custom cut and made by her husband.
Lyman's more intricate, ornate paintings were created for her final
show as senior at Brigham Young University, which, notes Lyman, was
an exhaustive feat. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in
2004, and then stepped back from painting for a spell. Stepping back
to engage in her passion, she scaled down her technique to
complete the tree collection that is now on display at
the Peteetneet. But the aesthetics are no less pleasing.
Her painting, “Firestorm,” is a compilation of layers, colors
painstakingly chosen to create the artist's vision. This
painting, along with "August," is among favorites she
included in the Peteetneet show.
Engaged in what she loves, Lyman paints on wood panels rather than
canvass, a practice she picked up while a student at BYU. She
prefers also to paint using multidimensional objects as models. “I
try to paint from life,” she explained. “I rarely use photos.”
Flowers, a common theme in her work, are arranged on vases she keeps
in her studio. They allow for a multifaceted view of the objects.
Though not exclusively so, she paints them in bright yellow hues
using with thick strokes of the brush. Among artists by whom she is
most influenced is Vincent Van Gogh. His influence is
recognizable in the thick texture and vibrant yellow sunflowers used,
albeit not exclusively, as subjects in her work.
“
I've always known that I wanted to be an artist,”
she said, “ever since preschool.” Her father, she said, had
convinced her to pursue a career in a field deemed more
practical, she added. Following his advice, she took up work as a
secretary, helping her husband through school during the early years
in their marriage. But she had not given up completely on art. “I
went into finance and asked, 'What am I doing here?'” Her deep
talent and the passing of time would enable her to pursue her
passion.
Lyman's work will remain on display in
the Peteetneet Art Gallery through the end of
February. Visitors are also welcome into the Peteetneet,
located at 10 South 600 East, Payson, during the museum's
regular hours, Monday-Friday, from 10 AM – 4 PM. Additional after-hour tours may be made by calling 801-465-5265 or
801-465-9427.
