Roland Lee Plein Air Paintings at the Zion National Park Plein Air Art Show

At the request of many of my students I am posting some of the plein air watercolor paintings completed at the Zion National Park Plein Air Art Festival.  Plus a little about my outdoor painting equipment and supplies. All these paintings were done on Arches 140 pound watercolor paper using mostly Daniel Smith watercolor paints. I usually paint smaller than 1/4 sheet when I paint outdoors. Most of the time I paint using a Sienna pochade box and tripod, or Anderson easel, but when I get tired I just sit in my favorite folding chair and hold my painting in my lap as I work. As always, I keep all my supplies in my trusty Toyota pickup and camper. It was ideal for this week's work in Zion. Loaded with art supplies, snack foods, ice cooler, and a nice bed for an afternoon nap, it is the ideal support vehicle for outdoor painting.

I am using a Sienna All Purpose Pochade box adapted perfectly for watercolors

My super-duper art support vehicle. A 1988 Toyota four-wheel drive pickup with 1992 Six Pac Super Mini camper. Perfect for a week painting outdoors in Zion National Park. 

A comfortable painting set-up with two Eldajon watercolor palettes on a Sienna easel that easily adjusts to my 6 foot 2 inch height.

Field Studies and Paintings on Utah's Grand Staircase Geology Trail - Part 1

Roland Lee painting Thor's Hammer along the trail below the rim at Bryce Canyon National Park. It's amazing how many people want to stop and look over your shoulder when you're painting on the Grand Staircase Escalante trail or in Bryce National Park. This photo was taken by an oriental tourist who insisted on having his picture taken with me. 

In the next few posts I thought I'd show a few of my sketchbook field notes, drawings and location paintings from last week's research trip along the Grand Staircase in Utah. I've been painting the Utah landscape for many years, but it was fun to make the trip with a couple of geology professors. It was like having my own living "on-site" Google reference. Any time I had a question I could just ask and they would tell me. And I had lots of questions. Of course their perspective is about the geologic details, and mine is all about the light and shadow on the landscape. Theirs is about accuracy and mine is all about artistic license. So it was a fun pairing. We had a blast together.
    These studies were done in Bryce Canyon. Of course Bryce is not in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (since it is its own national park), but it showcases the Pink Cliffs of the Claron formation on the geologic Grand Staircase, and is probably the must stunning and well-known spot on the route. We spent one whole day here.

My on-location sketchbook study of Thor's Hammer in Bryce Canyon National Park

My on-location plein air painting study of Thor's Hammer in Bryce Canyon National Park

My outdoor plein air painting box made by Sienna holds all my paints, brushes, and paper and sits atop a tripod. It can be set up in minutes anywhere I want to paint. Even on the trail in Bryce Canyon National Park. On the pochade box is my watercolor painting of Thor's Hammer. 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper and Daniel Smith watercolor paints.

Thors Hammer and Temple of Osiris. Watercolor studio painting by Roland Lee

Painting Outdoors in Snow Canyon With the Dixie Watercolor Society

Roland Lee painting outdoors in Snow Canyon Utah

A small group of hearty artists braved a brisk 40-degree morning to paint outdoors in beautiful Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George Utah. We enjoy getting together once a month as members of the Dixie Watercolor Society to hone our plein air painting skills and have fun. In this case, our numbers were thin, due to a spring storm which rolled through overnight and dumped snow in the higher elevations all around us. We found a nice spot out of the wind with an excellent view of the canyon's red cliffs and went to work. I used a new Sienna brand pochade box that was given to me as a gift by my friend Mark Rose. Mounted on a sturdy tripod it proved to my liking as it easily adjusted the height to my 6'1" frame.  I customized it by adding an   Eldajon watercolor palette and collapsible water can. The Sienna paint box is available from A Passion for Painting.

The Sienna Pochade box has room for everything yet closes up into a compact box for carrying. A sturdy tripod has a a secure and speedy mounting clamp.

The Sienna pochade box set up in Snow Canyon

Step by Step Watercolor "Zion's River"

"Zion's River" 8x12 watercolor by Roland Lee

This painting was inspired by a fall 2008 hike I took along the Virgin River in Zion National Park. I love the way the sun on the cliffs reflects in the cool blue water.

I am working on Arches 140 lb. Cold-press watercolor paper stapled to "Incredible Art Board". As usual I begin with a light (4h) pencil drawing to define my edges. Using a 1-inch flat brush I start by laying in both the sky and the water at the same time using wet-into-wet technique. First I wet the paper on the sky area and apply a small amount of yellow ochre along the horizon, then do a graded wash with Ultramarine blue from the top down. While that area dries I immediately apply clear water to the water area and float the reflection colors into it.

I allow the pigment to mingle in the wet in wet wash by tipping my board vertically to allow the paint to run down. This helps give the appearance of vertical reflections of the cliffs and trees in the water. Now I let both washes dry completely.

On the distant warm cliffs I lay in the shadow shapes with Quinacridone coral and ultramarine blue allowing the pigments to mingle. Moving down to the foliage I apply simple shapes using both wet in wet and drybrush to create a sense of texture.

I use negative painting (backpainting) in several places to define lighter trunks and branches against the darker background. I also further define the shapes on the cliff with darker applications of paint, making the same adjustments in the water reflections.

My photo reference was taken with my pocket digital camera. In a high contrast lighting situation it is difficult for the camera to read the shadows and the highlights, so the shadows are way to dark with no detail. In my painting I overcome that by lightening the middle ground values.

The finished painting. I feel like I captured the warm glow of the canyon and the colorful reflections in the water. What do you think?

My Watercolor Palette

I have had numerous requests from both websites about my watercolor palette. Since the term "palette" refers to both the surface you mix paint on, as well as the pigments used, I decided to post both here. I use Daniel Smith paints almost exclusively, with Windsor and Newton mixed in. You can see the paint layout on my palettes below. The palettes themselves are Eldajon palettes which I buy from Dick Blick and have used them for over 30 years. However it appears they are no longer available from the manufacturer, and are limited to only the supplies currently on hand in the supply houses. By the way if you are going to order anythng from Dick Blick do it from my website and I get a little kick-back from them (Buy something really expensive.)Click here for a catalog or to order online: Blick Art Materials

Replacing my trusty digital camera

I haven't posted any pictures for awhile because my digital camera was demolished by my little grandson Max. But I was able to pick up a replacement on e-Bay so I'm back in business. My trusty little Konica-Minolta Dimage x-50 has travelled with me all over the world. The new camera is exactly like the old one, only in a perfect resurrected state. It feels the same, but the screen is clean and clear, it has no dents and bruises, and works perfectly--it's a miracle! So now I'll start posting pics again of my latest paintings.



Now what grandpa could resist a face like this? "Sure Max, you can play with my camera. Aw, he can't hurt it. Oops!"

Sketching at Pipe Spring National Monument

On the way over to Lake Powell, I took a little side trip to Pipe Spring National Monument and the paiute Museum on the Arizona Strip. It's a wonderful old historic site with people in period costume. It is the location of an early Mormon pioneer settlement called Winsor Castle. Actually it is a stone fort built over the natural spring to protect the settlers from Indian raids. Today the paiutes and the National Park Service work together to run the site.



I did several sketches in my travel sketchbook and shot some digital photos for reference. I was thinking about doing a painting here for the 2007 Arts for the Parks National Competition.

I always use the Watson Guptill hardbound sketchbooks and a 6B or 8B pencil. I have run the sketchbooks through some rough trials carrying them with me in my travels all over the world. They hold together great and the drawings will not smudge because of the hard cover. I had my local art supply store, Passion for Painting Gallery, stock them for me and my students.