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

Best of Show Award at Southern Utah Watercolor Society Fall Exhibit

I was fortunate to receive the Best of Show Award at the Southern Utah Watercolor Society Fall Juried Art Show. The exhibit runs through October 10, 2008 at the Zion's Bank Staircase Gallery in St. George. My painting "Cliffs on Fire" received the award, and the same painting was recently juried into the prestigious Springville Museum of Art Spring Salon.

My Newest Work of Art - A Masterpiece!

I thought I'd show you all my latest artistic creation. During the Zion Centennial Art Show festivities Nellie was noticeably absent. She was home watching our grandkids while Jon and Jolynn were over at Dixie Medical Center ushering our newest grandson into the world. His name is Dallin James Lee and he's grandchild number 18 for us. I said he was named after Cyrus Dallin the great sculptor, and someone else said no, he's named after Dallin Oaks. But I think they just liked the name Dallin. We've enjoyed a very busy couple of days as we had Jon and the grandkids all staying with us. Jolynn and Dallin are doing great. They're both a little tired and so are we. This afternoon they went back to their home in Annabella Utah.

$30,000 in Purchase Awards Given at Opening Night of "A Century of Sanctuary" Art Exhibit

Roland Lee in front of his painting "West Temple" which is in the permanent collection of the Zion Natural History Association.

Hundreds of art lovers showed up at the Artist's Reception and awards ceremony last night for the Zion Centennial "Century of Sanctuary" art exhibit at the St. George Art Museum. 15 awards were given out including over $30,000.00 in purchase awards. Many of the artists travelled great distances to be here and spirits were high. We were pleased at the results. A really interesting Art Symposium was held today and I was invited to make a presentation on my 30 years of painting Zion National Park. Monday the exhibit opens to the public and will continue through January 2009.


Lyndi Harvey, Deputy Director of the National Park Service flew out from Washington DC to attend the exhibit. She poses with artists Roland Lee and Flavia Eckholm in front of Flavia's entry in the competition.

A Century of Sanctuary Zion Centennial Art Exhibit - New Book Release Contains Essay and Paintings by Roland Lee

I'm pleased to be included in the new book and catalog "A Century of Sanctuary - The Art of Zion National Park" which was released today in conjunction with the big Zion National Park Centennial Art Exhibit. The exhibit opens tomorrow night at the St. George Art Museum and will continue through January 2009. It contains a collection of paintings by such artists as Thomas Moran and Maynard Dixon.

I was asked to write an essay for the new book about my experiences painting in Zion National Park for the past 30 years. It's a true honor to be included in a book of this magnitude with my paintings along side those of Thomas Moran and Maynard Dixon.





The book A Century of Sanctuary is available through the museum or online at Zion National Park.

Art Collectors Visit Roland Lee Studio

I had a nice visit today at the studio from art collectors Brenda and Keith Midgley. They purchased a giclee print of my watercolor painting "5 Minutes of Fame" which is currently touring the nation with the Paint The Parks Top 100 exhibit. The Midgleys saw the original while it was on exhibit at the Kolb Gallery at Grand Canyon National Park.

A Century of Sanctuary - The Art of Zion National Park Exhibit

White glove time! Erica Cottam and Deborah Reeder from the St. George Art Museum carefully unwrap an original Thomas Moran painting while Zion Natural History Director Lyman Hafen looks on.

As a member of the board of Directors of the Zion National History Association we are excited about the fantastic art exhibit which is opening this weekend in St. George, Utah. The show has been in the planning stages for over two years and is the kick-off event for Zion National Park's 100 Year anniversary celebration.

The upper level of the art museum will include about 70 historical paintings spanning the period from the late 1800's through the 1900's. The lower level includes paintings by contemporary artists selected by juror Peter Hassrick from over 600 paintings entered in a worldwide competition. Over $30,000.00 in purchase awards will be given out in a special ceremony this Friday night, with the exhibit opening to the public Monday August 25, 2008.

Not only does this exhibit include an exciting variety of images from today's best painters, but the show features original paintings and prints from such luminaries as Thomas Moran, Maynard Dixon, Ansel Adams and others. This will certainly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Click here for more information about "A Century of Sanctuary - The Art of Zion National Park."

GPS Leads Hawaiian Family to My Studio

Kimo and Norma Kimokeo visited my studio today along with their daughters Kehau and Bethany. They were visiting Utah from Kaneohe, Hawaii, where Kimo is a well-known musician and performer. When I asked how they found me they said they just looked up "Interesting things to see in St. George, Utah" on their GPS and it directed them to my gallery. I had no idea a GPS could do that. It's amazing what modern technology can do. We had a nice studio visit and they got to see my latest painting of Scotney Castle Tower in progress. They were excited to be the first people in the world to get a glimpse of it. Everyone else will get to see it in a few days too!

Paintings of England

I've begun working on my new paintings of England and have so many ideas I don't know where to start. So I started small, with these two paintings of the Howgill Fells area of Cumbria in the Yorkshire Dales. Our good friends the Hartleys own a lovely country home just a mile from Sedbergh and have welcomed us there several times. Their daughter Geraldine will be married there this month, and there's not a prettier setting in all the world. The old stone barn in the painting has been converted into guest quarters and an art studio for Barbara Hartley, a fantastic artist in her own right.