Terry Pyles,
Alaskan Artist, Ketchikan
We met Terry Pyles by coincidence. While having lunch at the Point, an Art café in Ketchikan, Alaska, we first met his wife Cheri who volunteered to give us a free shuttle to the Totem Park. Then she proudly showed us her beautiful house with a magnificent panoramic view, and introduced us to her husband Terry. The chemistry fitted perfectly, and they invited us for dinner. We had a great (white salmon & king crab-) evening, full of laughing and talking. Conversations about live, art, the nitty gritty small talk details, but also about solving world problems. We felt especially privileged to have met them. An inspiring couple! Glad they accepted my 6vitesse-on-tour interview. Terry is first!
Terry Pyles (1957), born in Seattle, had his first art lesson at age 3 in a program for gifted children at the University of Washington. After graduating from high school, Terry moved to Alaska and became a licensed guide. His experience in the outdoors and time spent living in remote wilderness locations give him an edge when it comes to portraying the Alaskan environment in a realistic fashion.
Terry is best known for his paintings of Alaskan wildlife but he is equally skilled in landscape, marine and aviation subjects. His paintings are collected internationally and he has won several local, national and international awards for his artwork.
He is a truly “renaissance-artist”. He not only paints, but sculpts in fiberglass, epoxy, wood and many other materials. He also works in ceramics, stained glass, computer graphics and lampwork glass beads.
His hobbies are building furniture, fishing and golf. Terry and his wife Cheri own and operate The Point, an Art Café in Ketchikan, Alaska
WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO YOU
Freedom, to me means, the ability to live on my talent, guts and ingenuity, and to live the way I want to without relying on anyone for support, and to free from the shackles of an overbearing authoritarian government. But to have freedom, one must first have liberty. The two are inseparable.
WHAT DOES FRIENDSHIP MEAN TO YOU
Friendship, is a bond of brotherhood, on a global scale. A friend is someone who will be there in a time of need or leisure. Someone who appreciates common interests and would open their home to you on a moments’ notice.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU
To me, success is when everyone comes to you for your opinion.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST IN THE WORLD
The person I admire most in the world, would have to be Benjamin Franklin. (One of the founding fathers of the United States -http://en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Benjamin_Franklin )
WHAT GIVES YOU ENERGY
I derive energy from the urge to create something original every day.
DO YOU HAVE A DREAM THAT YOU HOPE ONE DAY WILL BE FULFILLED
My dream, everyday again, is for the government to get out of my business and life so that I can prosper, and maybe get a pay check, like my employees enjoy.
IN WHAT ARE YOU A TALENT BY NATURE
I am an artist by nature. A “renaissance artist” to be precise.
WHO DO YOU RESPECT MOST IN THE WORLD
I respect my dad the most, of anyone in the world.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GROW AS A PERSON
I need freedom and liberty to grow as a person.
WHAT DOESN”T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER, DID YOU EXPERIENCE THIS?
I am strong because I went to the University of Hard Knocks.
DID YOU ONCE TAKE A LEAP BY TAKING A SMALL STEP BACKWARDS ?
Can’t remember ever being knocked down, when I didn’t get right back up.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE IN THE WORLD
If I could change any one thing in the world, it would be to decentralize governments.
WHAT IS MOST PRECIOUS TO YOU?
The most precious thing to me is quality of life.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO BUT NEVER DARED TO
I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t dared to do that I really wanted to, but there are many things I couldn’t dare because I couldn’t afford to.
WHAT DRIVES YOU, WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES, WHAT MAKES YOU TICK
I’ve always had an inner drive to create, and be the best at what I do. I feel my artist avocation is directly tied to history, which is a hobby/ avocation in itself and directly affects and reflects in my work, both in a natural history sense as well as human history and arts. What makes me tick, is the next pushing of the envelope.