Paul Dyck Hold Me Gently Print
Size: 17"W x 12" H

ABOUT THE PAINTING: Paul Dyck wrote about the painting: "This small painting represents the native beauty of the West. Pass by . . . love gently . . . for others might pass here too. To be a Westerner is more of a state of mind than a geographical reality. The spiritual power of the land itself changes people to the easily recognized individuals that they are -- be they of any race or creed; the land itself, the living proof of the existence of God and the blessing of beauty only God himself can bestow."

ABOUT PAUL DYCK: Paul Dyck's parents pioneered among the Blackfoot Indians in Calgary, western Canada, at the turn of the century. His way of life as a rancher for the thirty years before his death in 2006 in the Verde Valley of Arizona, closely paralleled the early life of his parents. Dyck found that the life of isolation and closeness to the soil was his way in sincerity in Art.

In accordance with his family tradition he was raised from infancy in the spirit of Art. He served his “old master” type of apprenticeship when he was twelve years old under the tutelage of an uncle, Johann van Skramlik, noted European portrait painter, studying in his various studios in Prague, Paris, Florence and Rome. Dyck employed the old Florentine technique of using egg tempera and oil glazes for his painting -- a method dating back to the 14th century.

As an initiate or the Peyote ceremony, he had the rare privilege of observing and studying the American Indian from the psychological and human viewpoint rather than from the ethnological view alone. He sincerely believed that the Indian has contributed greatly to our heritage and way of life. He had been fortunate in having close friendships with many tribes and individuals. He lived among the Sioux, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Crow, Oto, Pawnee, Kiowa, Comanche, Zuni, Navajo, Hopi and Apache. The Sioux people gave him the name Wi-hun-ke-E-ta-pa (Rainbow Hand).

Speaking of his work Paul Dyck said: "My paintings are created out of love for the Indians of the West, among whom I have found unselfish friendship, an open heart and respect for the individual dignity of man - a way of life where each man walks with God."          

The Indians of the West left a heritage of courage, beauty and philosophy which can inspire and enrich the world. Paul Dyck’s friendship and knowledge of these people stimulated the study and collection of ethnological detail which, through the years, has built within him an intense feeling of debt to be paid for this inspiration in art and in philosophy.