About The Artist: Pat Lytle
Pat Lytle was born in New York in 1959, and raised in Southern California.
She had a successful career working with horses, which also included
drawing portraits of horses and pets. In 1987, Pat moved with her husband,
Terry, to Juneau, Alaska. They moved to their home in south Soldotna,
Alaska in 1989 where they reside to this day.
In 1999, Pat returned to her natural talent in art and opened her studio, Off The Canvas. The majority of her paintings were murals and smaller commissioned pieces. During this time, she painted a 7'x14' mural at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, several large backdrops for Kenai Performers ranging from 4'x 8' to 18'x 50', and various murals in private homes.
Wanting to expand further than the realistic style she was familiar with, she studied at UAA's Kenai Peninsula College. It was there she was introduced to abstract painting. Combining the expressiveness of abstract with her love of texture, Pat discovered a painting style that was liberating and intriguing. Each textural piece has over a dozen layers of paint, which is applied to a sculptural surface. This causes the colors to shift and interact, bringing depth and movement.
Her other style of painting would be considered impressionistic. Instead of canvas, she uses conservation grade acrylic sheets. Each piece of artwork is constructed using 2 to 5 acrylic sheets. The paintings are mostly done in reverse, on the back of the acrylic sheets, to show through to the front. Some of the surfaces are scraped, burnt, scored, or sanded, depending on the effect needed. When assembled, all sheets used are visible from the front. The result is art pieces that are very unique and expressive. And very, very different.
When it comes to drawing, Pat likes the control of the photo realistic style. Her preferred mediums are charcoal, pen & ink, and graphite. She does do some colored pencil and soft pastels on a limited basis. Her drawings often have so much detail that a single piece could take 25-30 hours. This, of course, is spread out over many days. This style of drawing is so intense that she can only work for a couple hours at a time before having to move on to something a little less taxing. But the finished piece reflects the time put into it.
In 2010, Pat integrated her photography into her studio. After years of taking reference shots for her art, she started to see pictures that held their own. Often, the compositions in her images are similar to her paintings. She is very much drawn to texture in a natural setting, and the play of color with that texture.
Pat Lytle has had many showings over the years. Her artwork can be seen at Frames and Things Gallery in the Soldotna Blazy Mall, Kenai Fine Arts Center, Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, UAA's Kenai Peninsula College, and in private collections throughout Alaska and the lower 48. Her photography can be seen at Mykel's Restaurant in Soldotna, and at various venues in the Kenai/Soldotna area.
Pat works out of her studio, Off The Canvas, in the Soldotna Blazy Mall in Soldotna, Alaska.
