Artist brings watercolors to BBR gallery

Watercolor naturalist Don Zylius brings a lifetime of perspective to his art now being displayed at the Gallery at The Lodge at Black Butte Ranch. Zylius, who is now 76 years old and as energetic as a person half his age, displayed his art and his technique for all to see at an artist reception held at The Lodge last Thursday evening.

Zylius, who is largely self-taught, paints mainly landscapes, florals, wildlife scenes, and fly fishing using a water-color technique called "wet-on-wet," in which the paint is applied to wet paper and dried with a hair dryer to bring a charming and almost mythical mood to his art.

"I love the mood I try to portray, or the transmitting of mood to the painting," Zylius noted.

In addition, he also uses a technique where he pours paint onto the paper, then manipulates the paper to spread the paint where he wants it. Describing his techniques as "flying by the seat of your pants," it's the risk involved that Zylius enjoys most about watercolor painting.

"I love the gamble because you just don't have absolute control with wet-on-wet," he said.

Zylius, who now resides in Sisters, moved to the area from Waukegan, Illinois, in 1970 where he had been a staff artist for the Waukegan News-Sun. He also managed to play a little minor league baseball in the old St. Louis Browns farm system, and also spent time playing upright bass in a pop and jazz band called "The Brothers In Law" in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Before starting his fine-art career in 1974, he also spent some time as a commercial artist in Bend for several years.

"I always wanted to leave the Midwest as it was getting crowded, and was intrigued by the Northwest and Bend in particular. When the opportunity arose to start a commercial venture in Bend, I took it," Zylius said.

In addition to his work being displayed in local galleries such as Lahaina Gallery in Bend, Soda Creek Gallery in Sisters, and Wingbeat Gallery in Shasta, Zylius' work has also garnered national attention. His work has been published in Gray's Sporting Journal on numerous occasions. Its publishing division, GSJ Press, published a Zylius work in its collector's edition entitled "The Art of Shooting Flying." Zylius was also chosen to display his work in the Cincinnati Zoo's Wondrous Wildlife exhibition.

Gallery manager Katie Williams commented, "I've admired Don's watercolors and his eye for nature for some time now. We've been waiting for an opportunity to display his work, and are very honored to have it

here."

A keen observer of nature and the great outdoors, Zylius spends as much time as possible hunting, fishing, and just taking it all in. While he makes mental notes of what he experiences, he also takes photographs of what he sees, but is quick to note that he doesn't paint directly from the photos, but uses them only for inspiration.

Visitors can enjoy the art of Don Zylius at The Gallery at The Lodge at Black Butte Ranch daily through September.