Red Desert Wonder New Painting

I was inspired to do this painting after a hike last week in the desert foothills of St. George. My favorite time to wander the desert is during the last hour of sunlight when the red cliffs light up with the last rays of the sun.

"Red Desert Wonder" step by step watercolor painting demonstration

Advanced Watercolor Painting Class

My January watercolor painting class was very special. I enjoyed spending two days with three excellent upper-level artists who pretty much outclassed their teacher in all of their paintings. I did three watercolor demonstration paintings showing watercolor techniques that were common to both desert paintings and snow scenes. Since it was an advanced group we also had the chance to discuss in-depth the specific chemical and physical characteristics of watercolor pigments -- definitely an advanced topic I wouldn't share with less experienced artists.
Photos: Top - Karen Bettilyon, Above - Shari Cannon, left - Gayla Folkman

For the Beauty of the Land

Sometimes a guy just has to get away to think. I had one of those times yesterday afternoon as I stole away for a quick hike in the desert. The winter sun was warm but the air was still crisp from the recent snow. The red desert sand stood in stark contrast to the clear blue sky and the snow-covered peaks of Pine Valley Mountain off in the distance. I often find myself stunned by the perfect beauty of God's creations and feel like more than a casual observer as I walk among them. What a beautiful place this is. I am thankful for my time here.

Snowy weekend results in Icy River Painting

Boy, it's been cold in Utah the past couple of weeks and we've had more than our share of snow. Over the weekend we travelled to Annabella Utah, near Richfield, for a big Holiday party with my kids and grandkids. It was cold, but didn't stop us from enjoying the snow. When I got back to the studio I launched into this painting of a scene along the Fremont River with the sun casting long blue shadows across the snow.

See Step-by-step watercolor painting demonstration on this painting

Roland Lee Drawing Chosen for Display at Tonbridge Castle in England

While in England this summer I sketched the Tonbridge Castle Gatehouse in my travel sketchbook. The drawing came to the attention of Shaun Jeffery, whose extensive collection of Tonbridge memorabilia is on permanent display in the Tonbridge Castle Museum. After exchanging several emails, I agreed to allow the drawing to become part of the Castle Museum collection. If you are ever in Tonbridge, Kent, England stop by and take a look!

A visit to LDS Temple Square in Salt Lake City

We braved a big winter storm to travel to Salt Lake City over the weekend. Although the roads were indeed treacherous, we survived to enjoy the resulting white blanket of beauty that always follows. We attended a beautiful banquet high above the city in the Joseph Smith building, followed by a wonderful concert featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and orchestra. It was a grand way to usher in the Christmas season and remember the birth of the Savior of the World.

Prince's Purchase Third Roland Lee Painting of Switzerland

Click here to see a demonstration of the painting steps for "Swiss Valley."

Over the weekend we visited snowy Salt Lake City to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and see the beautiful lights on Temple Square. We also had a nice visit with art collectors Jeff and Karianne Prince who purchased their third Roland Lee painting of Switzerland. All three paintings are beautifully displayed in the living room of their lovely home in Salt Lake city. Over the years they have become special friends.

Jeff and Karianne Prince with their painting of a Swiss Village.




Artist Roland Lee and The Prince's with their Roland Lee painting of Schloss Reitburg, a castle in Switzerland. Jeff spent two years in Switzerland serving as an LDS missionary and has a special place in his heart for the beautiful country and people of Switzerland. Click here to see sketch used to paint Schloss Reitburg

Solace at Sinawava - finished Painting of Zion National Park

This is the finished painting I've been working on for a couple of weeks. I named it "Solace at Sinawava." The Temple of Sinawava is at the entrance to Zion Narrows.

New Painting of Zion National Park

I've been working on this big painting for two weeks and thought I'd show it off a little. The location is in Zion National Park near the Temple of Sinawava. This is where they filmed my watercolor class for the new documentary on the Zion Centennial. The river is low in the fall but the reflections are amazing with the yellow cottonwoods in full color. I was anxious to get back and start this painting.I should finish the painting off tomorrow.

Roland Lee Watercolor Class filmed for Zion National Park Documentary

Sound man holds boom microphone on Sandra Feldman (left) while cameras roll on artists Vanessa McCullough and Lola Krummenacher (center) and Myron Laub (right) as they work on paintings on location by the Virgin River in Zion National Park.

Yesterday I conducted a painting workshop in Zion National Park. But this was a little different. This time we were followed around by a film crew making a video documentary about the Centennial of Zion National Park. Emmy award winning film producer Phil Tuckett, with 30 Emmy awards to his credit, is producing the film leading a crew from the advanced film production program at Dixie State College. In the photo above I stand by the demonstration painting I completed near the Temple of Sinawava.

A Cameraman zooms in on artist John Mangels while John's wife enjoys the show. At first the artists were shy, but once they got into their paintings they forgot about the cameras. The filming took several hours.

Dick Rose works on a small watercolor painting by the Virgin River near the Temple of Sinawava. Dick is president of the Southern Utah Watercolor Society.