Artists in Residence for a Day Painting in Zion National Park

Artists in Zion: (Front) Doug Yirka, John Mangels. Middle: Lola Krummenacher, Eve Armsen, Barbara Jones, Dick Rose, Vanessa McCullough, Sandra Feldman. Back: Myron Laub. Not pictured: Annie Barber, Jan Hansen.

Left: Myron Laub. Left below: John Mangels

Our third workshop day was held in Zion National Park. The day was gorgeous, and all of us felt excitement well up as we stepped off the shuttle bus for our first stop at Court of the Patriarchs. Sketchbooks came out and in minutes everyone was working on pencil drawings of the light and shadow on the towering cliffs above us. We then moved on up the canyon to the Temple of Sinawava where we all dispersed to find painting locations. While the artists painted, I grabbed a few sketches of my own then worked my way upriver and downriver trying to give encouragement. Not much was needed, as everyone seemed to find great vistas and got right to work on their watercolor paintings. The combination of enthusiasm, energy, perfect weather and stellar subject matter sucked us into its spell and rewarded us with an almost magical day in Zion.

Left: "Rock" star Doug Yirka

When I got back upriver to check on the little enclave of artists painting the mouth of the Zion Narrows I found they were surrounded by a busload of tourists taking pictures of them. Ahh the joys of being famous artists. I snuck up on doug Yirka and said "Oooh are you an artist?" He'd heard that enough already.

Left: Sandra Feldman

As our painting day came to an end we all sat in front of the Zion Lodge where Sandra Feldman told us a little about the geology of Zion, and I explained more about the restoration of the old Grotto Museum into housing for the new Zion National Park "Artist in Residence" Program which begins this year.

Left: Eve Armsen

We concluded the day back in St. George at the monthly meeting of the Southern Utah Watercolor Society where our artists showed the sketches and paintings done during the workshop. A great time with some great artists! Thanks to all, especially SUWS president Dick Rose, for organizing this event.

Photos below. Top left: Barbara Jones. Top right: Vanessa McCullough. Middle left: Lola Krummenacher. Middle Right: Dick Rose. Bottom Left: Jan Hansen. Bottom Right: Annie Barber

Painting in Zion National Park

Art instructor Roland Lee with demonstration painting of Zion National Park at SUWS Watercolor Workshop


Artists John Mangels and Sandra Feldman working on their watercolor paintings during the workshop.

We just concluded our first two days of in-class studio work and today we are heading to Zion National Park for the final day of our "Painting Zion" watercolor workshop. Nothing is more fun than painting on location and one of my favorite locations is definitely Zion Canyon.

BYU Football Fans

True blue Cougar fans. Front; Christian, Travis, Kayson. Back: Roland, Jim, Jon.

Not art related, but another passion of mine is football -- college football. My wonderful sons purchased season passes to the Brigham Young University home football games for all of us and we enjoy going together to root for the home team. It looks like this might be the year for the BYU Cougars. We blew out the last two teams we played by a combined score of 103 - 0. Probably due to our family cheering section.

Watercolor Painting Workshop Draws Expert Artists to Paint Zion National Park

I always enjoy meeting with other artists when I teach watercolor painting workshops, but this group is truly exceptional. We spent the day today learning how to "see" in nature and the importance of planning value relationships in a painting. Their paintings were terrific and I am excited to see what they come up with tomorrow. Workshop artists include: Douglas Yirka, Annie Barber, Sandra Feldman, John Mangels, Vanessa McCullough, Myron Laub, Lola Krummenacher, Barbara jones, Eve Armson, Jan Hansen, and SUWS president Dick Rose.



Douglas Yirka, front, came down from Kirkland, Washington to take the workshop. He had the farthest commute!

Selection Process for City of Santa Clara Mural

I was asked to be an artist representative on the committee to make the final selection of a 30-foot mural for the City of Santa Clara Office Building. I reluctantly agreed, although I hate to judge my peers. Kathleen Nielsen headed the committee and did a great job of pre-selection. We all came together only after the final three applicants were selected. I was blown away when I found out who they were -- all well-known and top-level artists. All their presentations were incredible, but in the end artist Julie Rogers was given the commission. It seemed so brutal to select only one with the quality of work they all presented. I don't want to do that again.

CHARLES HARRINGTON ACRYLIC WORKSHOP IN HURRICANE, UTAH

Artist Charles Harrington presented a painting workshop for the Hurricane Arts Group this week. He spoke to a larger group tonight about his methods of painting Acrylic landscapes, using a typical watercolor technique. He has won numerous awards from American Watercolor Society, Watercolor USA, and many others and authored a book for Northlight Press on his unique methods. He was presented with one of my "Mukuntuweap" books as a gift. I enjoyed meeting him and enjoying his wonderful talent.

A Few Spaces left for Roland Lee Zion Painting Workshop

Paint with Roland Lee in Zion National Park

We still have a few spaces left for the Zion Landscape Painting Workshop Sept 22-24 sponsored by the Southern Utah Watercolor Society. Call SUWS President Dick Rose at 435-635-4722 to register or go to my website for complete workshop information and daily agenda. Cost is $150 for the three-day workshop.

Watercolor workshop Includes:
Daily in-class painting and instruction plus demonstrations by Roland Lee
visit to St. George Art Museum to see Zion Centennial art exhibit
Painting and sketching on location in Zion National Park

I am excited about this workshop. Get on board!

Roland Lee Painting in UWS Two-Star Show at the Springville Museum of Art

My painting "Red Mountain Morning Light" was juried into the Utah Watercolor Society Two-Star Show which opened Saturday at the Springville Museum of Art. The show runs Sept 13 through October 16, 2008 and includes the best work from Signature and Two-Star members of the Utah Watercolor Society.

From Monet to Picasso Art Exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine art

After seeing some great art museums in Holland this summer, it was a treat to be able to enjoy some amazing paintings close to home this weekend at the Utah Museum of Fine Art's exhibition "From Monet to Picasso." My oldest daughter Jennie, who enjoys all things cultural, expressed an interest in the exhibit so the two of us had a little "Daddy-daughter Date" and visited the show last Saturday. This extraordinary show on loan from the Cleveland Art Institute was well-attended with long lines to park, and even longer lines to get in. But it was well worth it. We were both impressed as we moved from room to room seeing the works of such master artists as Renoir, Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, Dali, Picasso, and Matisse. I love art, and it is satisfying to see my kids and grandkids enjoying it as well. Good stuff.

J. KIRK RICHARDS EXHIBIT OPENS AT THE SPRINGVILLE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

I had a chance to visit briefly with fellow artist J. Kirk Richards at the opening of his new one person show at the Springville Museum of Art. Arriving a little early, I found him and museum director Vern Swanson adjusting a few spotlights and putting the finishing touches on the show. Wow, what a magnificent showing. His unique style of figurative painting is unmatched with deep emotion seething from every painting. This young master exudes proficiency as he juxtaposes value, color, and texture in a way that feels both natural and ethereal at the same time. This is a must-see show.


Museum visitors got a treat watching Richards put few touch-ups on one of his paintings.

September 2008 Watercolor Painting Workshop

We just concluded a two-day watercolor painting workshop in St. George, Utah, with another group of outstanding artists. This group really picked up on the concept of planning a painting using value studies. Their paintings were wonderful. Although most of the students were from Utah, Mark Gamett came from Las Vegas Nevada while Dan Cross drove out all the way from Iowa with his wife Charlie. Vicki Clayton, Norm Watts, Myron Laub, and Shari cannon all came from St. George, while Gail Alger came from Springdale. What a treat to spend time with these dedicated artists who love the medium of watercolor as much as I do.
Click to see more workshop photos