Joseph Kyle
In 1973 my family relocated to Victoria against my will, and my first week of grade 9 confirmed for me that the move had been a dreadful mistake. Although painfully shy I boldly asked the serious girl who sat beside me in science class: “Are you a Kyle?” She confirmed that she was, (I had recently attended a tennis camp with her cousin and the family resemblance was unquestionable). So began my enduring friendship with Sheila and my association with the remarkable Kyle family.
I was taken aback at my first meeting with Joseph Kyle as he looked like a fairly ordinary man, but I had anticipated someone in a black robe with a long white beard from Shelia’s stories about her father. He welcomed me with great warmth and playfulness. As we sat down to dinner he informed me: “We don’t stand on ceremony here, we might hurt him.” All formality and preconceptions were put aside, and I entered into their rare and intriguing world. Intellectually stimulating discussions. Merciless teasing. Emotional depth. Side-splitting laughter. Silent meditation in the living room after dinner. At times as well to sit in silence listening deeply to music where Joseph might suddenly shout at the end: “PLAY IT AGAIN!” And during those years he was a quiet encouragement and support for my making of art. One night a decision was made as we sat at his desk looking through my sketchpad. After graduation Sheila and I would go to art school together.
As the director of the Victoria College of Art Joseph Kyle established an environment of complete creative freedom and safety. He gave an almost severe warning in his talk to us on the first day of classes: “There is no putdown!” It was an atmosphere of joy and play, and yet deeply serious and focused. I am so grateful for that precious time I spent in his company at the College.
Joseph Kyle then painted and painted. He created a legacy of vibrant work out of his unique vision of Syn-optics or seeing as a whole. In the process, he made an important contribution to Canadian abstract art. In honour of what would have been his father’s 100th birthday, his son Paul held a magnificent exhibition of Joseph Kyle’s work at the Paul Kyle Gallery in February 2023.