This artist has found a single, small voice in a noisy world. The notion of simplicity as a difficult task comes to life in these one-line paintings. Lyon disciplines himself to distill his artistic communication to a single, powerful line.

Some describe the black-and-white sensibility as Zen-like, with a quiet, calligraphic air. But the artist’s lengthy process is meditative. When the carefully constructed ground, or “path,” as he calls it is ready, he puts the canvas away and meditates upon it. He then pre-titles the painting and begins to conceive of the single black line that will communicate his title.

“When I am in a very peaceful state of mind, usually early in the morning, I paint the line,” Lyon says with his optimistic laugh. His subjects are filled with positive energy and communicate virtues like mercy, grace, compassion, forgiveness and illustrate the ever-upward road.