Michael is an award-winning artist and illustrator best known for his watercolor and oil paintings. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, is a member of New York’s historic Salmagundi Art Club, and was named one of Watercolor Magazine’s 25 Artists to Watch. In 2007, Michael received a highly competitive artist residency at the C-Scape Dune Shack in Provincetown, MA. During this month-long residency, he lived alone in a remote shack on the Cape Cod National Seashore without electricity, running water, or plumbing. He has returned to the dune shack for stays in 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2021. Michael’s time spent living in the dunes remains a personal and artistic milestone that continues to inform his work.
Michael splits his time between Providence, Rhode Island, where he teaches watercolor painting for Rhode Island School of Design’s Continuing Education Program, and Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he has a home and studio. He is represented exclusively by Greg Salvatori Gallery in Provincetown, MA.
For commission projects such as portraits and illustration work, please use the contact page on this site to get in touch. For ready to ship artwork, as well as cards and prints, please visit his etsy shop Michael Lyons Studio. And follow Michael on Instagram for studio sneak peaks @MichaelLyonsStudio.
Education
Michael earned his BFA in 2005 from the Rhode Island School of Design. Following undergrad, Michael studied with artist Robert Cardinal in his Cape Cod studio.
Bibliography
Prior, Caitlin “Healthy Hobby: Watercolor Painting,” Prevention, August 2022
Jordan, Courtney "That's a Chicken with the Body of a Snake" Artist Daily, Sept 2011
"25 Artists to Watch" Watercolor Magazine, Fall 2011
Awards & Residencies
“Teacher of Excellence” Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education, 2020
C-Scape Dune Shack Artist-in-Residence, Provincetown, MA 2007
National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS coverage for "Virus of the Heart" illustration published in Genre magazine, 2007
Al Barker Award, Junior and Scholarship Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, 2012
Elizabeth K. Ellis Artist's Fellowship Award, Member's Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, 2012