His father, a pattern maker in Detroit, mentored him in the intricacies of wood, both structural and artistic. As a result of this background, he got his start in the woodworking field. Since 1988, from his home studio in Traverse City, Michigan, Lyle has turned his attention to woodturning and has quickly developed a style that is both innovative in design and technically challenging. While he b
egan his work with traditional vessels and bowls, his creative energies and desire to cultivate his technique soon led him to attempt turning the human form. Requiring a multi-axis approach versus the more traditional single axis, the work is complex, yet delicate. The beauty of the human form allows the artist to employ grain elegantly. Lyle developed a passion for woodturning around 1989. His quest for learning technical skills for woodturning led him to work with the best and most respected masters in the woodturning field. In 1998, Lyle became a full time studio turning artist/sculptor. Lyle resides in a beautiful corner of northern Michigan. He is a morning person and delights in viewing the sunrise from the screened-in porch overlooking the wetlands and pond behind his heavily-wooded, very private property near Traverse City, Michigan. It is an inspirational setting for his lifelong desire to create sensational sculpture. Lyle said: “It’s all about lifestyle, being happy with the work that I choose to do.”
