A SHORT BIOGRAPHY/Martian AYME de Lyon/Painter, engraver & printer

1937 – Born in Lyon

1956 – Begins oil painting (1956-1972) and first Salon

1957 – Decides not to go to art school, assuming that the outcome of an overall personal approach to art might be worth the trouble...

1960 – Starts writing

1961 – Stained glass windows for a church (1600 sq. ft.); begins working on large watercolours (1961-1966)

1964 – First woodcuts

1967 – Starts a series of colour ink drawings (1967-1980) and sets up his own printing studio equipped for typography, lithography and etching

1977 – Prints Poèmes Révoltés ("Rebellious Poems"), his first book.

1979 – Start printing engraved postcards in limited editions; works on large drawings (up to 47 in by 63 in).

1984 – First "monotypes aveugles" (« blank monotypes »): a personal technique which consists in working on the back of a paper laid on an inked surface; it can be done several times allowing for multilevel colour printing without requiring the use of a press.

1990 – Starlaide 257 , a journey from the initial sketch to the last state of a colour linocut: 257 documents and proofs (22 in by 16.5 in)...

1993 – First real artist's book: Le Monotype Aveugle ("The Blank Monotype"), an essay after ten years of practice.

2006 – Prints La Dame de Chamalières ("The Lady of Chamalières"), an important series of polychrome states printed from a single lino plate.

2009 – Prints ABC D'ire ("A Sore Primer") with twenty-six militant définitions under the guise of a miniature book.

2011 – Puts a finishing hand to La Fille du caboulot ("The Tavern Girl") with nine states from a single lino plate illustrating the poem Vocation ("Calling") by Charles Cros.

2012 – Is at present working on Éros est muet ("Mute is Eros") and other artist's books.

"Since 1984, the artist has altogether managed polychrome linocut, his own artist book printing, and blank monotype. The latter technique that he has been working on with lasting determination is, as he says, far from having given up all its secrets to him ; as with linocut too, if you ask him...

"Definitely a figurative artist, for 55 years, more than creating new images all the time, which is particularly true as far as his blank monotypes are concerned, Martian AYME de Lyon has concentrated on going deeper and deeper into single master-images.

"From the start when he decided how he would work, keeping himself in the background, he has always given them all the necessary time to reveal their many-sided hidden possibilities; which accounts for his currently working on many sheets on long periods of time.

"When on a specific project, he takes his time, letting it germinate in its every detail, study after study investigating every possible aspect until it appears impossible to him to go further ; then, and only when he feels ready to make the best of his tools does he become the craftsman of his creation...

"Inventing a new image illustrating a theme every day is no work for him; for Martian AYME de Lyon what eventually matters is the surface, the lines, the colours... A challenge for a figurative artist! Has he succeeded? The fact that his are so different from the others' works is probably the best possible answer of all..."

03gb_bio	A SHORT BIOGRAPHY/Martian AYME de Lyon/Painter, engraver & printer
03bio		- BIOGRAPHIE - (Up to May 2012)




			Martian AYME de Lyon A SHORT BIOGRAPHY 1937 – Born in Lyon 1956 – Begins oil painting (1956-1972) and first Salon 1957 – Decides not to go to art school, assuming that the outcome of an overall personal approach to art might be worth the trouble... 1960 – Starts writing 1961 – Stained glass windows for a church (1600 sq. ft.); begins working on large watercolours (1961-1966) 1964 – First woodcuts 1967 – Starts a series of colour ink drawings (1967-1980) and sets up his own printing studio equipped for typography, lithography and etching 1977 – Prints Poèmes Révoltés ("Rebellious Poems"), his first book. 1979 – Start printing engraved postcards in limited editions; works on large drawings (up to 47 in by 63 in). 1984 – First "monotypes aveugles" (« blank monotypes »): a personal technique which consists in working on the back of a paper laid on an inked surface; it can be done several times allowing for multilevel colour printing without requiring the use of a press. 1990 – Starlaide 257 , a journey from the initial sketch to the last state of a colour linocut: 257 documents and proofs (22 in by 16.5 in)... 1993 – First real artist's book: Le Monotype Aveugle ("The Blank Monotype"), an essay after ten years of practice. 2006 – Prints La Dame de Chamalières ("The Lady of Chamalières"), an important series of polychrome states printed from a single lino plate. 2009 – Prints ABC D'ire ("A Sore Primer") with twenty-six militant définitions under the guise of a miniature book. 2011 – Puts a finishing hand to La Fille du caboulot ("The Tavern Girl") with nine states from a single lino plate illustrating the poem Vocation ("Calling") by Charles Cros. 2012 – Is at present working on Éros est muet ("Mute is Eros") and other artist's books. "Since 1984, the artist has altogether managed polychrome linocut, his own artist book printing, and blank monotype. The latter technique that he has been working on with lasting determination is, as he says, far from having given up all its secrets to him ; as with linocut too, if you ask him... "Definitely a figurative artist, for 55 years, more than creating new images all the time, which is particularly true as far as his blank monotypes are concerned, Martian AYME de Lyon has concentrated on going deeper and deeper into single master-images. "From the start when he decided how he would work, keeping himself in the background, he has always given them all the necessary time to reveal their many-sided hidden possibilities; which accounts for his currently working on many sheets on long periods of time. "When on a specific project, he takes his time, letting it germinate in its every detail, study after study investigating every possible aspect until it appears impossible to him to go further ; then, and only when he feels ready to make the best of his tools does he become the craftsman of his creation... "Inventing a new image illustrating a theme every day is no work for him; for Martian AYME de Lyon what eventually matters is the surface, the lines, the colours... A challenge for a figurative artist! Has he succeeded? The fact that his are so different from the others' works is probably the best possible answer of all..." C. SÉE (2011)