Alvin Berry Dyes was born in 1918 in a small Georgia town called Fort
Valley; the state's peach growing center.
Art first appeared in his handling of the advertising for the high school
basketball games and in the painting, in both pastels and oils, of the local
magnolia blossoms. All were self taught.
Art was then put aside to obtain a 5 year degree in Engineering from
Georgia Tech. For the first 15 years after graduation, originality was
expressed not in art, but in the reseach and development department of the
petroleum producing company now known as ARCO.
Art next asserted itself in Paris, France. Mr. Dyes and his family
were there for 3 years while he served as a consultant in petroleum
production to the French government. Visits to the cathedral of Chatres
and to the many Paris museums, and the paintings of Bernard Buffet, inspired
the completion of several paintings in Paris.
For the next 20 years, art was again set aside for a full time operation of
an independent consulting office in Geneva, Switzerland, serving the petroleum
industry in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Finally, retirement came and art was resumed at the sands and ocean of
Pensacola Beach, Florida. That accounts for the influence of water and
sand noted in several paintings. Also, the influence of mathematics and
engineering appears int he structuring of ideas presented in what the artist
calls Geometric Art.
The engineer-artist has recently moved his retirement to Great Gorge in
Vernon, New Jersey. He hopes to speed the completion of 30 remaining
sketches into paintings. Time is short.
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