Lyle Sopel

Born:
- 1951, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Education:
- Langara College of the Arts
- European Tour Studying Master Sculptors

Awards:
- Victor Scott Award for Visual Arts
- Langara College Cholarship Arts Award

Recent Canadian Publications:
- 1998, Modern Jeweller, Canada Jade, April 98
- 1996, Equinox Magazine, The Mystical Mineral, October 96
- 1996, West Vancouver Lifestyle Magazine, Cover Story, July 96

Recent American Publications:
- 2000, Arts & Antiques, Summer 2000, Travelling Collector
- 2000, Naples Illustrated, Winter Art Scene
- 2000, Wildlife Art, July/Aug 2000, View Point
- 2000, Inform Art, Fall 2000, Wildlife in Bronze & Gem Stones
- 1999, Art Business News, September 1999
- 1998, America West Airlines Magazine, August 1998

International Publications:
- 1991, Jade
- 1987, National Geographic, Jade Stone of Heaven

International Honours:
- 2000 Canada Post Corporation, assist in designing a stamp to commemorate the 2001 Chinese New Year.
- 1992 Commissioned Advisor to the Lord Abbot of Bangkok, Thailand, the largest sitting Jade Buddha sculpture.

Selected Corporate Collections:
- Bank of Montreal
- Nikken of Japan
- Canfor
- Royal Bank of Canada
- Carborundum
- Rio Algom
- Dynapro
- Swiss Bank Corporation
- Genstar
- Tech Corp of Canada
- Hong Kong Bank of Canada
- IBM

Notable Collections:
- Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, Paris France
- Former United States President George Bush
- Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of Germany
- President Richard Von Weizaecken, Germany
- Prince Takamado of Japan
- Prime Minister of Sweden, Ingvar Carlsson
- His Royal Highness the Sultan of Johar
- Southland Museum, New Zealand
- Fine Art Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"It is said that jade is not only the stone of heaven, but of good luck and fortune. Jade is harder than steel and has to be cut with diamond-edged tools. But after you overcome that aspect, there are no limits. It is very strong and can be carved very thin, and it has that wonderful gem-like character. Every time I cut open a boulder, it has some beautiful feature that I've never seen before. So my inspiration often comes from the stone itself, colour, texture, natural inclusions." "Lyle Sopel is among the best of the world's contemporary jade sculptors." - National Geographic Magazine