First Day at Mesa Verde

Our first day of a two-week residency at Mesa Verde was a whirlwind of adventure! First of all our guest hogan is completely charming, decorated in a 1930's pueblo style and offering all the comforts of home. A $200-a-night lodge could not be more welcoming and cozy. Driving in late Sunday night, after an 8-hour trip, we enjoyed a good night's sleep.

Up early, we were thrilled to be greeted by deer, coyote, and turkeys. After checking in to get our backcountry passes and clearance with my good griend Frank Cope, we headed out to get our first glimpse of a cliff dwelling. We picked up a ranger-guided tour at Cliff Palace which is an enormous complex of stone-work tucked underneath an even more enormous rock overhang. It's easy to see why the Ancestral Puebloans found the spot appealing based on protection and views. However it is staggering to imagine the work it must have taken to build this place stone by stone.

Our first look was from high above and we had a chance to take it all in and do a few sketches before dropping down a narrow winding trail into the dwelling. People with bad knees beware! We soon discovered that most of the cliff dwellings were built between 1200 and 1280 AD. Although the Ancestral Puebloans lived and held ceremonies in the structures, much of their time was spent up on the mesa tops where they farmed corn, beans and squash. As we exited the dwellings we had to climb another narrow stone trail and finish by scaling a tall, but sturdy ladder to the surface.

Anxious to see more, we took a guided tour of balcony house. Nellie opted out of this one when she heard we had to enter via a 32 foot ladder and crawl through a narrow 12 foot tunnel. She enjoyed reading in the beautiful weather above, while our small, but congenial group explored the cliff dwelling interior. Once again the view was staggering, as we tried to figure out how in the world they ever climbed up the stone face in the first place. Much archaelogical work has been done on the larger sites, but there are over 600 known cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.

Later in the day we explored Spruce Tree House, and drove the Mesa Top Loop where we could see countless other cliff dwellings and storage rooms tucked precariously into the cliff face. I had my sketchbook out and worked feverishly to capture a few quick views of each location. Rain is predicted for the rest of the week, so we wanted to get in as much as we could today.

Where Two Streams Meet

My good friend Lyman Hafen has just published a new book reflecting on the history of St. George. "Where Two Streams Meet," Tonaquint Press features my painting of the same name on the cover. Lyman's new book gleans from his many essays about growing up in the once "small town" of St. George, Utah. In his charming and reflective style, Lyman has become well-known for his writings that combine history with personal reflections. To order the book click here.

"Where Two Streams Meet" watercolor by Roland Lee

New Zion Painting Where the River turns

This new painting is at the framer right now. It will be ready for the "Footsteps of Thomas Moran" studio exhibit at Zion National Park the first week of November. The painting, called "Where the River Turns," depicts the quiet solitude of the Virgin River near the Temple of Sinawava during the quiet, but colorful autumn season.

Roland Lee featured in Western Art Collector Magazine

The October issue of Western Art Collector magazine spotlights the work of Roland Lee in conjunction with my fall show "Colors of Zion" and the plein air event "In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran." Both shows run concurrently at Zion National Park starting October 31, 2011. Visitors to the the event will be able to see 24 artists painting on location in Zion, and watch them participate in a one-hour "quick draw" and auction. An exhibit of studio paintings will be presented at the Zion National Park Human History Museum from Sept 20 - Nov 27. Just outside the Park's east entrance the Roland Lee Art Gallery will also present a display and sale of new original paintings and prints of Zion National Park. Click here for a full schedule of events.

Zion National Park Show opens today

"Beneath the Watchman" by Roland Lee
Today was the opening of the first event in the 2011 "In the Footsteps of thomas Moran" plein air competition and exhibit. Each participating artist submitted studio paintings which will be on display now through the end of the show. If you are in Zion National Park between now and then be sure to stop by the Human History Museum to view the exhibit. And plan to be there the first week of November for the plein air competition and sale.

Following in the Footsteps of Thomas Moran

Just in time! I finished this new painting today just in time to get it up to Zion National Park for the kick-off of the art event of the year. Now in it's third year the "In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran" plein air art event draws hundreds of collectors who enjoy watching 24 artists work on location in the park. A special pre-show begins on September 20, 2011 featuring studio pieces by the artists on display in the Zion National Park Human History Museum. The Thomas Moran event also includes a "wet-paint sale", a Quick draw and auction, along with special workshops and demos by the participating artists. For a complete schedule click the link below:
Thomas Moran Plein Air Invitational

Salt Lake City Workshop

It's always great to meet new artists at my workshops. And it's nice to see my old artist friends as well. That was the case at my latest workshop in Salt Lake City where 14 artists from several states enjoyed a couple of days together studying the wily ways of watercolor. The first day of the workshop we concentrated on the techniques of wet-into-wet, allowing pigments to mingle on the paper instead of the palette. The paintings were magnificent as each artist adapted the approach to their unique vision. The second day we wrestled with the technique of negative painting and preserving the whites. This workshop group was certainly up to the task and the work they produced was amazing.

Class participants include: Mark Rose, Marjorie Anderson, Chris Cameron, Joanne Hamm, Tammy Northrup, Sue Ross, Bill Porter, Heidi Vriens, Sharon Cannon, Margaret Pugsley, Dixie Stoddard, Bessan Swanson, Tina Howard.

Watercolor Workshop at Tuacahn

I enjoyed three days with a lovely group of artists this past week at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Southern Utah. It was a diverse group of people ranging from experienced art teachers to a talented 12-year old from Maine. But we had fun as I tried to impress upon them the importance of learning to paint with the artist's brain. The facilities at Tuacahn were wonderful and organizer Penny Beckstrand was a great help to us. Students included: Jill Fugal, Pleasant Grove; Pamela Jones, Big Pine CA; Mark Rose, American Falls, Idaho; Abby Windover, Maine; Linda Huntzinger, Provo, UT; LuAnne Williams, Colorado City, AZ; Emily Thomas, Lehi, UT; Amber Cosby, St. George UT; Paul Lillywhite, St. George, UT; Karen Pool, UT.


Demonstrating a small desert watercolor scene for the students, using a three-minute sky.


The Tuacahn classroom worked out very well.


Artists hard at work. Their teacher really cracked the whip on them!



Mark Rose and I went up to Snow Canyon to do a little sketching. I did this small painting of the scene behind Mark.

Good Friends from England

My good friends Derrick and Barbara Hartley stopped in for a delightful visit at the Mission Gallery. From Sedburgh England, they have hosted us at their lovely country home in the Yorkshire Dales area on several occasions. This time we hosted them at our cabin at Zion National Park. They were joined by their son and daughter in law Ruskin and Ashley Hartley, and Barbara and Jim Aikens. While in the gallery they chose a small landscape painting to take home with them to England.

(Back row) Trisha Eves, Barbara Aikens, Roland Lee, Nellie Lee. (Front row) Barbara Hartley, Derrick Hartley, Ashley Hartley and Emerson Hartley on her lap.

Collectors Purchase Award-winning Painting

Former collectors Jim and Linda Szalay have been stewing over one of my paintings for some time. Finally, they decided they just had to have "Reflections of Solitude" for their collection after viewing it over and over on my website. One of my personal favorite paintings, "Reflections of Solitude" was selected for several national competitions including the National Watercolor Society, The Springville Art Museum Spring Salon, The Utah Watercolor Society and others. It received awards from two of those competitions.