Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas card handpainted in watercolor by Roland Lee

Art Show in Highland UT

Thanks to everyone who attended the Benefit art show in Highland Friday night. It was great to see everyone and meet some new collectors. With our sales we were able to make a nice contribution to the selected charities. It looks like this might become an annual event.

Norma and Phil Maestri browse through some of the new giclee prints introduced at the show.

It's Tonight! See the New Lake Powell Paintings in Highland, UT

If you are in the Salt Lake City area stop by tonight and check out all my new Lake Powell Paintings. We're having a benefit show for the Little Heroes foundation and to help my family raise money for humanitarian service projects. A small donation will get you a box of my Christmas art cards, plus you'll get a chance to see the big originals too. I'll be donating 20% of all the painting sales plus 100% of the card sales to these worthy causes. The location is at the home of Jim and Barbara Lee in Highland UT. Click for full details and directions.

Getting Ready for My Show in Highland, UT to Benefit Little Heroes Foundation

Above: "Lake Powell Memories" will be for sale at the Highland Show.

On Friday Deember 11, I will be having a special show and sale of my new Lake Powell Paintings at the home of Jim and Barbara Lee in Highland, Utah. The show is a benefit fund-raiser for the "Little Heroes" Childrens Foundation and to raise funds for making humanitarian aid kits for disaster relief.

In addition to my new Lake Powell paintings I will have other paintings, framed prints, and Christmas Art cards available at the show. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of art cards will be donated to the cause. I hope all my friends in the Salt Lake City area can stop by and help us raise funds for these worthy causes.

Click here for more details on the show and sale.

Best of Show Award at Southern Utah Watercolor Society Fall Exhibit

We attended the opening of the Fall Watercolor Competition of the Southern Utah Watercolor Society tonight in Mesquite Nevada. A large group of artists from southern Utah traveled down to the opening which was held at the Mesquite Art Center, and hosted by some wonderful volunteers. I was fortunate to win Best of Show for my painting "Scotney Castle" which came with a nice cash prize. I was impressed by the body of work that was there and was proud of our artists for the quality of the presentation. Mesquite Mayor Susan Holecheck and several members of the City Council were in attendance and their support of the arts is evident in the nice arts facilities there.

Artist Jeff Ham Discusses His Colorful Paintings

Artist Jeff Ham spoke about his work tonight at the St. George Art Museum to a group of eager listeners. Jeffs acrylic on canvas paintings feature large-scale compositions characterized by strong shapes and powerful design. His unique style provides a great avenue for his thoughtful ideas about man and nature. He is in many southwest galleries and his work was featured recently in Western Art Collector magazine.

A Visit with Watercolorist Tony Couch

Tony Couch and I had a chance to visit for a few minutes after his watercolor demonstration in Hurricane Utah

The Hurricane Valley Art Alliance scheduled a week-long workshop with well-known watercolorist Tony Couch this week, and the Southern Utah Watercolor Society co-sponsored a demonstration last night. Tony is a prolific painter and completed a wonderful demonstration painting in a couple of hours. He has influenced literally thousands of aspiring artists over the years through his books and workshops. Congratulations to Warren and Carol Larson for their hard work in organizing the event.

Thanks to everyone who came to my art show tonight

Standing by my new painting "Stillness on the Water" a watercolor painting of Lake Powell.

We had a great time tonight at the opening reception for my art show "Roland Lee's Canyon country - New Views." Jane Juber had the gallery festooned in Holiday lights and decorated with beautiful fall leaves. We had a wonderful turnout of well-wishers and buyers, and as always, it was fun to just chat about the thing I love most -- art!


The Mission Gallery all decked out in Christmas decorations


Paula Bell purchased my painting, "Snow Canyon Vista."

Ready for my Art Show Thursday Night at Mission Gallery

All my paintings are now framed and delivered to the Mission Gallery for one-man show Thursday evening November 12. Those who attend will see a number of new paintings including some very large landscapes of Lake Powell, Zion National Park, and Cedar Mountain. Stop by and say hello if you get a chance. I'll be there from 6pm until 9pm to answer questions. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.

Workshop Demo with Ian Ramsay

Noted watercolorist Ian Ramsay gave a watercolor workshop for the Utah Watercolor Society last week in Salt Lake City. He did two watercolor painting demonstrations -- one of a rustic harbor scene, and the other of an Oregon town view. About 14 artists were present at the workshop and enjoyed his presentation.

"How to Paint Autumn Foliage" Topic of November Watercolor Workshop

"Painting the Fall Foliage in Watercolor" was the general theme of my two-day watercolor workshop that concluded today in St. George. Sponsored by Becky Whitney at A passion for Painting Studio, the workshop combined both drawing and painting indoors and out as we studied negative painting and learning to see the light in nature. This was an exceptional group of painters with a lot of combined experience, so we accomplished a lot in two days.
See more photos from the November 2009 watercolor workshop

Becky Whitney, an accomplished oil painter and teacher caught by the camera actually painting in watercolor. Glory be!

Watch for This Postcard in the Mail - Roland Lee's Canyon Country Art Show Nov. 12

Keep an eye out for this postcard which will be coming in the mail soon to many of my Utah art collectors. My new art show opens at the Mission Gallery in St. George, Utah on Thursday November 12, 2009. The reception begins at 6pm. I am pretty excited about my new Lake Powell paintings and new paintings of Zion National Park. If you are in town, please stop by. We'd love to see you. Also if you'd like to sign up for future mailings please shoot me an email with your contact information.

More information about the Roland Lee Art Show "Canyon Country - New Views."

Great Autumn Workshop for Cache Valley Watercolor Group

What a glorious time to be in Cache Valley Utah. We traveled to Logan for a workshop last Friday and Saturday sponsored by the Cache Valley chapter of the Utah Watercolor Society. Sherrill Gordon organized the event and let us stay in their lovely home Friday night, and her husband Jim fixed a wonderful French Toast breakfast to get us started right.


Our theme was painting the Autumn landscape an emphasis on learning to see light and shadow in nature. This was a particularly proficient group of experienced artists and we covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. We were able to complete several paintings and get a number of others started. I'm looking forward to returning next year for a longer workshop.



See more photos at Cache Valley WC blog

Cache Valley Watercolor Workshop this Weekend

We're headed to Logan Utah this weekend to teach a watercolor workshop for the Cache Valley Watercolor Group, a division of the Utah Watercolor Society. I had a chance to make a watercolor presentation to them last Spring, and they invited me back for a workshop. I'm looking forward to getting to know my artist/friends up north a little better. Contact Sherrill Gordon at 435-881-4718 for more information or see the workshop page of my website.

New Lake Powell Painting Ready for Art Show

I'm finishing a couple more Lake Powell paintings for my one-man-show on November 12. This painting carries a lot of the feeling I have for the Lake. I love it when the waters are still in early morning or early evening, and the sun bathes the rocks in intense warm light. It makes the reflections spectacular.

Art Talk in Richfield Utah

I enjoyed traveling to Richfield, UT last Friday night to make a powerpoint presentation about "Art Principals of Painting." My good friend and artist, Lillie Jones made the invitation and the event was sponsored by Artworks of Sevier and the Staples Art Gallery. It was great to meet new artist-friends and get better acquainted with the wonderful artists of the Sevier Valley. I hadn't realized there was such a large group of accomplished artists there.



I was treated royally. President Rachel Olsen, a fine watercolorist, made the introductions and presented me with a decorated box filled with special homemade treats from the area including bread, applesauce, apple butter and salsa, plus beef jerky, farm eggs, and fresh fruit. Now that is a gift I can really get into! Plus Rachel gave me a nice set of her art cards. What a beautiful thoughtful gesture.


On Saturday I visited the Staples Art Gallery in Elsinore, which is run as a cooperative effort by the artists. The gallery is in a former home, and artwork is carefully displayed in every room. Each month a different artist is featured in the largest display room on a rotating basis. Thanks to artist Barth Hansen for opening the gallery and showing me around.

Thanks to everyone who came to the talk, and especially to those who made such a great effort to organize and publicize the event. I look forward to returning to the Richfield area next year for a two-day watercolor painting workshop.

New Paintings Ready for Nov 12 One Man Show

I finally completed the two paintings of Lake Powell I have been working on for several weeks. I will send them off for framing tomorrow. They will be exhibited in my one-man-show "New Views - Canyon Country Paintings by Roland Lee" coming up November 12 through December 31, 2009 at the Mission Gallery in St. George.

I photographed both paintings as I worked on them and posted demonstrations on my web site, if you'd like to check out my painting process.

"Reflections of Solitude"
21 x 29 watercolor

I worked on this painting during the St. George downtown gallery walk last week. It drew lots of attention. So here it is finished. Click to see demo



"Mirrors of Stone"
21 x 29 watercolor
If you check out the watercolor demonstration on my website you will see how I used techniques of negative painting in the foreground as well as wet-into-wet and drybrush techniques. Click to see demo

Art Collectors Share Love of Zion National Park

I always enjoy visiting with kindred spirits. Today a nice couple, Noel and Susan Williams stopped by the Mission Gallery and I could see right away that we shared a common love of Zion National Park. They were in southern Utah for a special reunion of past park employees as part of the Zion Centennial Celebration. We swapped stories about Zion, it's trails, cliffs, peace, and beauty. In the end they left with a couple of my original paintings.


This painting, "Five Minutes of Fame," was selected to tour the nation with the "Paint the Parks Top 100" show. Noel and Susan Williams purchased this painting for their home.



Noel and Susan also purchased this small painting of the Eagle Crags, a prominent peak seen as you approach Zion National Park's West entrance.

Jim Jones Documentary and New Paintings Premiered at SUU

I was fortunate to attend the opening of the new Jim Jones exhibit last weekend at Southern Utah University. The show included a number of new large landscape paintings of Zion National Park and The Grand Canyon. Wow, what a spectacular presentation from a fantastic artist. I loved the quote by a young girl who commented "I like your paintings because I can see so far." That pretty much sums up the vistas that Jimmie Jones portrays in his enourmous oil paintings. Prior to the show we attended the premiere showing of a new documentary film about Jones' life and work. Jones recently donated his estate home on the cliffs above Rockville, along with a suite of 14 new paintings to Southern Utah University. The university also unveiled plans for the new Southern Utah Museum of Art to be built on the campus.

Above: One of Jones' big landscapes of the Grand Canyon

Dick Brown Watercolor Workshop

Our local painting group, the Southern Utah Watercolor Society, sponsored a landscape workshop with artist Richard Brown. He demonstrated his unique and thorough method of designing a painting from initial sketches to the application of successive watercolor glazes.


Dick begins with a tracing paper value study, followed by a more complete value study. He then does an 8 x 10 colored pencil study to develop his color relationships. These preliminary studies along with 12 x 18 photo enlargements of his reference photos provide the road map for his finished painting. In the photo above you can see studies along with his painting in progress of the Kayenta cliffs near Ivins, Utah.

The class watches intently as Dick Brown describes his techniques.

St. George Gallery Art Walk

The downtown St. George art venues got together over the weekend and held a very successful Gallery walk. With hundreds of people turning out I'm sure it will become a regular event. Guests started at the St. George Art Museum and the "Visions of Zion" show where they received a punch card. After visiting all the galleries they turned in their cards to participate in a drawing for a free Roland Lee original painting. Gallery artists were demonstrating at each location and live music made it even more enjoyable.

I worked on my newest painting of Lake Powell at the Mission Gallery during the Art Walk. Literally hundreds of guests stopped by to ask questions while I was working. This painting will be on display at my art show in November.

Artists Roland Lee and Craig Fetzer at the October St. George Art Walk


Artist Dilleen Marsh works on a landscape painting at Impressions Fine Art Gallery during the St. George Art Walk

Click here to download a PDF map of the gallery walk locations

Eccles Gallery Spotlights Two Local Artists

There are lots of opportunities to enjoy the visual arts in St. George. We are blessed with many artists and some wonderful venues to show their work. Currently on display at the Eccles Gallery at Dixie State College is a three-part exhibit featuring photography, watercolors and three dimensional art. I attended an art talk tonight at the gallery and was intrigued with the depth of thought and meaning behind the work on display.

In the west foyer Mexican-born artist/photographer Ernesto Perez presents a series of black and white photos in an exhibit called "Footprints of Humanity." Perez focuses his lens on little seen images that are all around us but probably go unnoticed. It's a fun exhibit.

In the east foyer is an exhibit called "Feminine Archetypes Around The World And Through The Ages," featuring mixed media, three-dimensional depictions of goddess figures by Pamala Bird. Pamala discussed her paper-casting process which takes over 100 hours to complete. Her artwork celebrate womanhood by drawing from historical images used by many cultures over countless years.

Art professor Glen Blakely gave short vignettes on some of the artists featured in the watercolor display from the Dixie State College permanent collection. The exhibit, curated by Kathy Cieslewicz, is a stunning display of work spanning many years.

October Painting Workshop

My October workshop concentrated on Painting the Red Rocks of Utah's Canyon Country. A group of great artists joined me as we explored ways to paint the unique characteristics of the sandstone mesas. Myron Laub, Joan Bly, Catherine Jenson, Linda Yokom, Janet Taylor, and Vicki Clayton all created great looking paintings as we went outdoors for on-location study at St. George's red cliffs.


Linda Yokom works on her painting of the red sandstone cliffs near St. George


Joan Bly purchased my class demonstration painting at the conclusion of the workshop


Catherine Jenson during the studio portion of the workshop


Myron Laub hard at work on a painting


Janet Taylor


Vicki Clayton

Click to see more photos of the October 2009 Workshop "How to Paint the Red Rocks"

Sketching the Autumn Leaves at Duck Creek

With word that the southern Utah mountains would be blanketed with snow tomorrow, I grabbed my camera and sketchbook and headed for Cedar Mountain this morning to take in the fall colors. I was rewarded with fantastic (but windy) weather, and a visual feast of yellows and golds as I explored Duck Creek, Cedar Breaks, and Bryce Canyon.


Late afternoon at Duck Creek. The light made the colors explode.

BYU Exhibit "Paintings From the Reign of Victoria"

Yesterday I had a chance to see the new traveling exhibit of "Paintings from the Reign of Victoria" on display at Brigham Young University Museum of Art through October 24, 2009. This exhibition includes over 60 nineteenth century paintings acquired by Thomas Holloway for the women’s college he had founded in 1879. All I can say is, "Wow!" The paintings are generally very large and stunning. As a big fan of realism, and genre paintings from that era, I was deeply moved by the work. If you get a chance see this exhibit before it is gone.

The painting above called "A Highland Croft" was painted in 1873 by Peter Graham.