St. George Art Museum Show Sales

Although the St. George Art Museum does not conduct sales, they are helpful in passing contacts along to the exhibiting artists. We have had numerous sales of my paintings this week since the Roland Lee Canyon Country Show opened. I will be presenting a museum talk next Thursday April 19 at 7pm to discuss the exhibit and my painting techniques. There is no charge for admittance that night and everyone is welcome.

St. George Art Festival Television Interview

The KUTV News crew doing an interview with yours truly

The first day of the St. George Art Festival went well. I enjoyed meeting many new collectors as well as visiting with numerous previous collectors. With 28 paintings already on display at the St. George Art Museum I didn't have as many paintings for this show as I usually have. But it didn't seem to matter.

This morning I did a television interview from my booth for the KUTV Morning News. It's fascinating to see all the equipment they need to set up just for a few minutes of TV time. It seemed like everyone who stopped by my booth had seen me on the news this morning. Anyway my sales were very good during both days so we are pleased. I also enjoyed seeing my oldest brother Blaine, who came to town for the art show along with lots of other family members who always come to town easter weekend to get together.

Painting #1000 of the St. George Temple

Art collector Blake Arnold with his new painting of the St. George LDS Temple



For the past two months I've been working on a very large painting of the St. George LDS Temple. Each of my paintings is numbered sequentially and this is painting #1000 -- a real milestone. I've had a number of collectors ask about who would be getting this special painting. While I don't take painting commissions, three years ago I had promised a good collector, Blake Arnold, that the next time I painted the Temple he could have first crack at it. After getting it framed yesterday, Blake rushed over to see it and bought it on the spot. He had to hurry because today he and his wife are leaving for Europe. I will be exhibiting the painting at the St. George Art Festival over the weekend (with Blake's permission) so others can see it.

UTAH WATERCOLOR SOCIETY MEETING PRESENTATION
Over 100 artists turned out at the monthly meeting of the Utah Watercolor Society in Salt Lake City Tuesday night. I was the featured speaker and was a little intimidated by the large group of my peers. But they were kind to me, and listened with patience as I presented a PowerPoint demonstration "From Sketches to Paintings" outlining my techniques for working up a painting from sketchbook field studies to studio paintings. Thanks to president Gayle Allen and workshop coordinator Catherine Hostetter for setting it all up. I will be back in Salt Lake City next week to teach a three-day mini workshop for the UWS which Catherine also organized. That workshop is already filled.



Inside the Big Barn at Wheeeler Farm, where the Utah Watercolor Society holds their monthly meetings



Wheeler Farm (above) is a wonderful working farm covering many acres. I had a chance to do a few sketchbook pencil studies around the farm before the presentation.

Canyon Country Paintings Exhibit Opens

We enjoyed a good turnout at the opening reception Friday night at the St. George Art Museum. The mezzanine level features my show plus a pottery exhibit by artist and friend Glen Blakley. It was good to finally get the exhibit up. I have about 28 original paintings on display including Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, Snow Canyon, Kayenta and other southwest desert locations. Also on display are sketchbook drawings done on location and demonstration displays featuring step-by-step painting techniques. The show will run through July 7, 2007. Now I'm on way up to Salt Lake City to do a demonstration for the Utah Watercolor Society, then I'll only have a few days to finalize my work for the St. George Art Festival next weekend.

Hanging the Show at the Art Museum

Because of a quick show turnaround time the St. George Art Museum, it was "all hands on deck" as we went to work hanging my one man show. Having owned a gallery for many years, Nellie and I are experienced at hanging art, so with help and guidance from Deborah Reeder, Ramona Larson, and April Cummings we launched into the project. By afternoon the show was hung and we all think it looks terrific. I have about 28 original watercolor paintings on display along with sketchbook drawings and educational displays describing the watercolor painting process. We open Friday March 30 with an artist reception from 6pm to 8pm.

A very early watercolor painting

I had a a surprise visit from collector, Joyce Oveson, who brought in one of my very first watercolor paintings for cataloging. She had purchased the painting from the original owner back in 1982 then moved from the area and so I had no record of where it was. It's always fun to visit with my collectors, as I try to keep track of each painting and its whereabouts. Sometimes it becomes a challenge when paintings change hands or get passed on to others after a death. Joyce still treasures her little painting of a desert scene called "Desert Shadows."

Ansel Adams Photo Exhibit

Ansel Adams, Cathedral Peak, 1938. ©2006 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

Nellie and I spent the last week in Sacramento at a Public Lands conference where I was representing Zion National Park. In between conference sessions we were able to slip away and visit a wonderful exhibit of Yosemite photographs by Ansel Adams at the Crocker Art museum. In addition to photos from the permanent collection there were a series from a horseback trip he took with Georgia O'Keefe and others in 1938. As everyone knows Adams worked in black and white using the "zone system" to cover a wide range of grays and middle values. While I had seen many of his photographs, it was exciting to see photos actually printed by his own hand and signed in pencil. What a spectacular exhibit!

March 2007 Roland Lee Painting Workshop

I enjoyed having another group of fine artists at my March 2007 Watercolor Painting Workshop in St. George. Our focus was on painting the red rock landscape in watercolor. The weather was so great we ditched the classroom for awhile and slipped up on the red hill for a little sketching.

Our group came from several western states including four excellent watercolorists from Mesquite Nevada: Barbara Worley, Diane Taterka, Joanne Johansen, and Peggy Peterson. Bessann Peterson and Karen Bettilyon came down from Salt Lake City, Utah. Tyson Kartchner drove down from Boulder, Colorado while Pat Gibson travelled from Willow Creek, Montana. Lola Krummenacher and Glen Bessonette were repeat students from the St. George, Utah area.

Becky Whitney hosted the class at Passion for Painting Gallery and had stretched a Happy Birthday banner across the room for my birthday. She also gave me a birthday gift of a fantastic Anderson French Easel. I love it because you don't have to wrestle with the legs -- they slide out and snap quickly into place. I can't wait to try it out.

Tyson Kartchner from Boulder Colorado studies the value and colors of shadows on the red hills above St. George, Utah.

Glen Bessonette works on a sketchbook drawing during the Roland Lee painting workshop.

Sandstone Towers Zion Painting

I began this painting "Sandstone Towers" as a live demonstration at the Kayenta Art Festival. During the course of the demo Leslie Layton, a previous collector, was so excited about it she wanted to buy the painting on the spot. I encouraged her to wait until the painting was completed and agreed to let her see it first before putting it on the website. She saw the finished piece today and snapped it up along with two other small original paintings.




the painting started with a small thumbnail sketch.

Partially completed, you can see the basic underglazes which create texture and warmth on the cliffs. I am preserving the white areas in the foreground for tree branches and details.

Here I am hard at work on the painting during the Kayenta Art Festival. I finished the painting later in my studio.

Roland Lee Painting Auctioned for College Scholarships

Each year I donate an original painting to the Dixie State College Foundation's annual Fire and Ice banquet and auction. My painting "Rio Virgin in Zion" was purchased tonight by Ralph and Cheri Atkin, long-time collectors, for $4800.00. All of the money will help needy students with full and partial scholarships to Dixie State College. A number of previous collectors were on hand to join in the bidding, but eventually the Atkins won the auction.

I enjoyed chatting with another collector, Boyd Silver, after the event. He has three of my original watercolors. I appreciate so much all the collectors who have purchased my paintings over the years and really enjoy seeing them again.