"BWCA" by Charles Lyon, William Murray, and Michael Paul

BWCA

March 9 - April 13, 2024

Charles Lyon, William Murray & Michael Paul

CHARLES LYON

Before settling in Minnesota in 1994, Charles Lyon spent over a decade living in the high Arizona desert where he taught photography, rock climbing and kayaking. As he developed an interest in color, he set aside black and white photography and began to work in textiles and later, pastels. After his move to Minneapolis, Lyon returned to school to study painting and received his MFA degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1999. In 2005, Lyon was chosen to be an Artist in Residence in Badlands National Park. In 2007, Lyon painted an ornament representing the park for the White House Christmas tree. Lyon was also awarded a 2009 Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board for continued work on his paintings of snow in the city.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Traveling by canoe is one of my favorite ways to experience wilderness. Silently gliding over iron-tinged water in the BWCA is deeply satisfying physically and esthetically. The sky and water merge as one gets lost in the rhythm of paddling. But, being wilderness, there are days full of adversity. Wind, rain, and bugs can be as much a part of one’s experience as reflections on the lakes and smells of the moist boreal forest. And it is a humbling experience trying to navigate. Surprisingly, weather has entered my work as I revisit my experiences “up North” as paintings.

- Charles Lyon

WILLIAM MURRAY

William Murray was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from Minneapolis College of Art & Design followed with an MFA from the University of Minnesota.

Murray began teaching art at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater in the 1970s. He created such a successful program, other institutions around the US began modeling his methods. Murray retired from teaching in 2003, and continues to paint and follow his passion for art.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always felt that the artist is a worker like anyone else. It is the entire process of making my art that pushes me forward. I am still very passionate about my artwork and although I may not create at the same pace as years ago, I still have the same desire and drive to do so.

- William Murray

MICHAEL PAUL

Michael Paul was born in 1956 in Helena, Montana. He received his BFA from Minnesota State University Moorhead and holds a BA in Art History and Mathematics from Concordia College. He studied painting conservation at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. After serving in the Air Force as a Geodetic Surveyor, Paul began painting professionally and established Flathead Studio in 1996. Paul is best known for his paintings of the Northern Great Plains as well as his use of traditional encaustic materials. He is a recipient of a grant from the North Dakota Humanities Council, and his paintings are included in numerous public collections including the North Dakota Museum of Art, the Plains Art Museum, the University of Minnesota, and the Center for Western Studies. He resides and maintains a studio in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My favorite canoe was a two seater, blue and white, Old Town covered canoe. There were others; a classic Gruman aluminum, a cedar strip beauty, a lightweight kevlar solo. But the Old Town was the perfect boat to introduce our children to the adventures of canoeing. They loved riding in the front cockpit, sometimes squeezed in side by side, their tiny life jackets wrapped close, their eyes wide with excitement. From there they could watch the water and forest glide by. They could feel the fog on their face and wonder in its muffled sound.

In Northern Minnesota, a landscape littered with lakes and rivers, water is the main attraction. It is the supporting actors though, that give it texture and meaning; trees of course, and islands, rocks, cliffs, the forest floor along a portage, or even the soulful call of a loon.

Lately, my choice of medium has been drawing on paper. While graphite continues to be my tool of choice, I have been exploring metal points like gold and silver. These materials lend a soft, warm texture that is especially suitable when depicting the lakes area landscape.

- Michael Paul

Michael Paul

Loons Singing a Quiet Song

2021 | silver on paper | $1,800.

image: 10.5 x 19" | frame: 20.25 x 27.5"

Charles Lyon

Lake Vermillion

2023 | oil on canvas | $6,000.

image: 30 x 40" | frame: 31.75 x 41.75"

Charles Lyon

Listening Point

2024 |

charcoal and watercolor on paper | $2,400.

image: 22 x 30" |

frame: 29 x 36"

William Murray

Thunderstorm

2021 | watercolor | $700.

image: 6 x 9" |

frame: 12 x 15"

Michael Paul

North Point Lake Agnes

2024 | acrylic on paper | $900.

image: 10 x 13" | frame: 17.75 x 20.5"

William Murray

Four Timberwolves

2023 | watercolor | $450.

image: 5 x 6" | frame: 11 x 12.25"

William Murray

Dark Bay

2023 | watercolor | $1,050.

image: 11.75 x 15.5" |

frame: 20 x 24"

William

2023

image:

Michael Paul

Long Before the Earth was Round

2023 | silver and graphite on paper | $2,400.

image: 10 x 15.5" | frame: 21 x 26"

William Murray

Through the Cut

2023 | watercolor | $550.

image: 5.75 x 7" | frame: 12 x 13.25"

Charles Lyon

Pictographs, Crooked Lake

2024 | watercolor | $2,100.

image: 15 x 19.5" |

frame: 22 x 26.5"

Charles Lyon

Table Rock

2024 | watercolor | $2,100. image: 15 x 19.5" | frame: 22 x 26.5"

Michael Paul

Crane Lake Boulder

2023 | graphite on paper | $600.

image: 5 x 6.5" | frame: 16 x 17"

Michael Paul

Wooden Frog Island Lake Kabetogama

2023 | graphite on paper | $600.

image: 4 x 11" | frame: 14.5 x 21" INQUIRE

Michael Paul

Morning Fog Lake Agnes

2023 | acrylic on paper | $800.

image: 6 x 9" | frame: 16.25 x 19"

Charles Lyon

Burnt Lake #3

2023 | oil on linen | $3,400.

image: 20 x 30" | frame: 21.75 x 31.75"

Michael Paul

Bent Not Broken

2023 | gold & graphite on paper | $500.

image: 5 x 3" | frame: 15.25 x 13"

Charles Lyon

Burnt Lake #4

2024 | oil on linen | $1,600.

image: 14 x 18" |

frame: 15.5 x 19.5"

William Murray

Fishing the Point 2023 | watercolor | $500.

William Murray

Snow Squall, Knife Lake

2023 | watercolor | $750.

image: 6.5 x 10" |

frame: 13 x 16.25"

William Murray

Into the Big Lake

2023 | watercolor | $600.

image: 6 x 8" | frame: 12 x 14"

Charles Lyon

Lake Vermillion #2

2024 | oil on linen | $3,400.

image: 20 x 30" | frame: 21.75 x 31.75"

William Murray

Devil's Track Lake

2023 | watercolor | $500.

image: 5 x 7" |

frame: 11.25 x 13.25"

William Murray

Weather on the Gunflint

2023 | watercolor | $400.

image: 4.5 x 6" | frame: 10.75 x 12.25"

Charles Lyon

Cabin 1, Burntside Lodge

2024 | oil on linen | $3,400.

image: 22 x 28" |

frame: 23.75 x 29.75"

William Murray

Trout Stream

2023 | watercolor | $500.

image: 4.75 x 7" | frame: 10.75 x 13.25"

William Murray

Small Stream

2023 | watercolor | $600.

image: 6 x 8" | frame: 12 x 14"

Charles Lyon

Sandpit Lake Portage

2023 | oil on paper | $3,800.

image: 22 x 30" | frame: 29 x 36"

William Murray

Last Day of Fishing

2023 | watercolor | $400.

image: 4.25 x 7" |

frame: 10.25 x 13"

William Murray

Wild Horses, Dakota

2023 | watercolor | $400.

image: 4 x 7" | frame: 10.25 x 13"

William Murray

Snow Island

2023 | watercolor | $500.

image: 6.25 x 4.25" |

frame: 12.5 x 10.75"

Michael Paul

Bilbo Baggins Passed by Here

2023 | silver on paper | $1,200.

image: 7 x 12" | frame: 17.5 x 22.25"

Michael Paul

Boulders Gather

2020 | silver on paper | $1,800.

image: 9 x 19.5" | frame: 19 x 27.75"

Michael Paul

Doodle No. 83 (Cliff Face)

2023 | silver on paper | $600.

image: 5 x 8" |

frame: 14.75 x 18"

Michael Paul

Doodle No. 82 (Cliff Detail)

2023 | gold and graphite on paper | $800.

image: 5 x 14" | frame: 16 x 24"

Michael Paul

Morrison Bay, Lake Superior

2023 | oil on panel | $900.

image: 11.75 x 15" | frame: 14 x 17.5"

Michael Paul

Lake Agnes

2023 | acrylic on paper | $900.

image: 13 x 10" |

frame: 20.5 x 17.25"