Stephen
Lyman was an
explorer who
specialized
in painting
the most
elusive
moments in
nature. His
inspiring
work was
inspired, in
turn, by the
writing and
teachings of
famous
naturalist
John Muir.
“Muir wrote,
‘Climb the
mountains
and get
their good
tidings,’”
Lyman said.
“I know
exactly what
he meant.”
Lyman’s love
of the great
outdoors
stemmed from
a childhood
spent in the
Pacific
Northwest,
where hiking
in Snake
River
country was
a regular
family
ritual.
Lyman’s
desire to
share his
admiration
for the
outdoors was
strong, but
he enrolled
in the Art
Center
School of
Design in
Pasadena,
California,
to learn
more about
the
commercial
art field.
He started
his career
as a
commercial
illustrator
in Los
Angeles and
soon
realized
that the
call of the
wild was
stronger
than the
lure of the
city.
Returning to
Idaho, he
spent two
years
exploring
and
developing
his own
style of
painting. He
continued to
discover the
wonders of
the natural
world and of
living a
natural
lifestyle.
“All my
paintings
have their
origins in
my
experience
and
perception
of beauty in
the
wilderness,”
he said.
Lyman’s
first
limited
edition
print was
published by
The
Greenwich
Workshop in
1983. In
subsequent
years, he
was a
frequent
participant
in the
prestigious
international
“Birds in
Art” show at
the Leigh
Yawkey
Woodson Art
Museum. He
was invited
to be
“Artist of
the Year” at
the 1991
Pacific Rim
Wildlife Art
Show and
then
received the
rare honor
of being
invited back
as an
“Encore
Artist” at
the 1995
event.
Stephen
Lyman
actively
shared the
wonder of
the natural
world with a
legion of
collectors
until his
untimely
death in
1996. He had
been
recently
named one of
the top
artists in
the country
by U.S. Art
magazine and
his book,
Into the
Wilderness:
An Artist’s
Journey, was
published to
unanimous
acclaim in
the autumn
of 1995.