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"