This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah food lovers are mourning the death of Kenvin Lyman — a master commerical artist, but also a pioneer in Utah's organic farming movement and a grower of extraordinary heirloom tomatoes.
In January, Lyman fell at his home in Salt Lake City and incurred a massive head injury from which he never recovered. A celebration of his life will take place today, Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at One Mind Studio, 216 W. Paxton Ave. (1170 South).
During his first career, Lyman's artistic abilities took him on numerous adventures, from road trips with The Grateful Dead, for whom he produced light shows, to Hollywood, where he helped pioneer the use of optical effects and 3-D imaging for movies. He ran a commercial art studio and produced illustrations seen in nation magazines, book covers and music albums. He also taught art classes and lectured all over the United States.
But in 2002, at the age of 61, Lyman started Bohemia Farms, an organic growing operation with his wife Sofia Angkasa and his brother Fred Lyman. It was located on 10 acres of family-owned land in the tiny town of Spring Lake, between Payson and Santaquin. They were one of the first Utah farmers to sell organic produce at the downtown Farmer's Market.
"Farming," Lyman told me back in 2003, "is just another way of expressing my artistic sensibilities."
Lyman also was a fabulous cook. And for nearly a decade he had been compiling recipes and creating illustrations for a cookbook.
One of the last posts on his Facebook page was asking friends to help him come up with a title for the book.
Friends gave all sort of suggestions from "An Artist's Kitchen" to "Kenvin Cooks Damn Good Food" to "Cooking with Light."
Whatever it's called, I want a copy. RIP Kenvin.