Lyle Dayman is one of my top favourite artists, self-effacing, modest and exceptionally talented. It is a great thrill to have him as my featured artist of the month.
I discovered Lyle a few years ago when he first started his Facebook Page, became completely smitten with his art and followed his work and adventures with great enthusiasm since that day.
He has led a very interesting and creative life and is now happily retired and living on the beach in Adelaide, Australia. (Well, perhaps not ON the beach itself!)
I'm lucky enough to own some of Lyle's art. My heart always skips a beat when I look at the paintings on the wall, I shall never,ever tire of them.
BTW...Lyle sent me a few images for the blog post but I've taken the liberty of adding some of my favourites too! They are too good to miss out.
I shall be very forward here and say go 'like' his Facebook page; if you like a particular image and would like to purchase, then just ask him if it's still available! Thats exactly what I did. He posts worldwide. You will NOT be disappointed.
So, let's see what Lyle has in store for us....
I went to South Australian School or Art when I was around 16/17 and learned to draw. My first job as an artist was in the display studio at a department store where I worked happily for a few years. Because I was able to draw I went into advertising as a layout man. I never met or heard of a “layout” woman. I was eventually offered a job with a large national ad agency to work on the Berger Paints account as the local rep in Adelaide.
The agency Fortune (Aust) Pty Ltd was about to lose Berger and asked if I’d like to transfer to their Melbourne office and I said yes. In 1964 Brian Monahan and I started our own agency Monahan Dayman Advertising and 6 years later we became Monahan Dayman Adams.
The agency grew to become the third largest in the country, the largest Australian owned agency and the first to become a public company. I retired early and moved to a small Victorian country town called Yea. It was here I began to learn how to paint and had lessons from some of Australia’s top watercolorists.
In 2003 we moved back to Adelaide and I began my journey with pastels. I joined Pastel Artists of SA, later I was elected President and earlier this year I was made a Life Member of the art society.
Where do you work?
I haven’t earned a salary since leaving advertising I am thus unemployed. I paint because I love the process. I paint at home in the garage (pastel) and occasionally inside the house (watercolours).
The garage/studio
What do you wear when painting/creating?
Pastels can be a grubby pastime, so old clothes and apron have become my uniform. I paint in the garage because of the dust. Painting in the house with pastels is strictly forbidden.
Tools of the trade!
Describe a typical day in your studio.
I tend to work in short, intense bursts - only in the afternoon but every day. I never know what I’m going to paint until I go down to the “studio” where I browse through sketchbooks, old watercolours and photo references.
Describe the view from your desk.
I have no desk and stand to paint. When the garage door is shut there is no view. When open I see the esplanade, the walking path, the seat opposite, sea and horizon.
View from the studio when garage door is open!
What couldn't you live without in your studio?
The two walls of the garage where I tape a new painting every day. I call these walls Lyle’s Walls of Industry.
How would you describe your art?
Vaguely impressionistic with emphasis on colour.
Has your art changed over time?
Yes, incredibly so. I once thought it necessary to paint everything I saw and put these details in the picture. Now I completely ignore detail and try to keep pictures very simple.
What work do you most enjoy doing?
I enjoy everything about painting and have no particular dislikes. I don’t paint subjects I can’t handle, like portraits.
What mediums have you experimented with?
Charcoal, pen and ink, watercolour, pastels, watercolour and pastel combined.
Do you ever get artists’/makers block? If so, how do you deal with it?
Not anymore. 2 years ago I began painting every day - one smallish picture. Amazingly this practise actually encourages me to keep painting and avoid the dreaded ‘artists’ block’.
What is your dream project?
Like the Berger Paints slogan “Keep on Keeping on.”
Is the artistic life lonely? If so, what do you do to counteract it?
Never lonely with a handful of pastels.
Who or what inspires you most?
I’m inspired by my Wall of Industry as I can track my progress accurately. I try to improve my work every day and the Wall tells me when I succeed and when I fail.
My favourite living artist/maker is… David Hockney
I can't live without…my pastels
I love…painting daily
I need…to post every painting on Facebook every day
I hate…missing a day from the easel.
I want…to keep improving and see if it is really possible to become a very good artist.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Never try and copy skies and sunsets from nature or from photos”. Greg Allen, watercolour painter, Melbourne.
Professionally, what are your goals for the future?
I try to approach art as a professional but I don’t consider myself as such because I paint for my own amusement. I make little attempt to sell work and like to show what I do on Facebook. If viewers like what they see they can buy and many do.
Where can we buy your art?
Facebook (Lyle Dayman Artist)
PASA exhibitions.
Pop Up exhibitions (I had one in 2013)
Directly from my ‘Studio/Garage” always open -weather permitting - many just walk in from the street.
Links etc.
www.lyledayman.com
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