Southern Utah History through Paintings

I have always enjoyed doing paintings of the early pioneer era of southern Utah. Especially fun is creating a painting where I bring to life a moment in history using research and my imagination. As tonight's invited "Third Thursday" speaker at the St. George Art Museum I prepared a powerpoint showing how I create a historical painting from research to the painting process. Two of the featured paintings were the murals I created for the Washington County Library. Those involved an especially long research period followed by a unique painting method using oils, instead of my usual watercolors. After mounting belgian linen to a hardboard panel, I used the wall of my storage unit as an easel, nailing the panel in position, and painting vertically. Why the storage unit? My studio is too small to accomodate a 4 ft by 8 ft painting! Why oils? too big for watercolor paper. I showed slides of the painting process as the painting progressed from early sketches and planning through painting and completion. It was fun to look back on that project as well as other historical paintings, some of which are on display at the museum through May 25, 2012.


Roland Lee at work on his mural for the Washington County Library

Drawing Workshop

Drawing is fundamental to all forms of art. And yet, some artists shy away from it. This workshop helped us focus on why drawing is important, how to capture the essence of a subject quickly, and how to see values. A great group of artists joined for two days of intensive drawing which included both studio and outdoor sketching. Our subjects ranged from flowers and shrubs, to buildings and structures, and finally to figures. Thanks to all the great artists who participated: Mark Rose, John Mangels, Carol Spriggs, Gianna Dryer, Sharon Cannon, and Barbara Marchant. (photos by John Mangels)
Each of used our sketchbooks and pencil to capture this old St. George grainery building with a 10 minute sketch.

St. George Art Museum Show Opens

Eleven of my watercolor paintings will be on display through May 25, 2012 at the St. George Art Museum as part of their "Collections from the Collection" show. The paintings are all from the museum's permanent collection and includes one of the first watercolors I ever sold in 1980. Most of the paintings were purchased by the City of St. George for the permanent collection over the past 31 years, while a few were donated by collectors. Over 150 paintings are on exhibit creating a wonderful retrospective show. Gallery hours are 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday. The address is 47 East 200 North, St. George, UT.

Drawing Workshop in Salt Lake City

Margo Cook organized a wonderful drawing workshop in Salt Lake City that drew in 15 attendees in January. We enjoyed two days of drawing together and learning the art of seeing values. I will hold another drawing workshop in St. George, UT January 26-27, 2012 at a Passion for Painting studio.
Workshop participants included: Joanne Hamm, Mary Ann Nelson, Karen Cheng, Laurel Finlinson, Heidi Vriens, Joan Reynolds, Shari Cannon, Marjorie Anderson, Bessann Swanson, Dixie Stoddard, Joan Bodell, Colleen Thompson, Margo Cook, Mark Rose, and Margaret Pugsley.

Record Sales Raise Funds for the Zion National Park Foundation Youth Initiative

Once again, I am grateful to the collectors from many states who selected my paintings to become part of their collections. The show was nearly a sell-out and helped raise a significant amount for the Zion National Park Foundation Youth Initiative. Here are a few more photos from the plein Air Invitational at Zion National Park. See more photos on my website.

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Uhlinger of Monterey CA with their plein air painting "Dry Creek - East Zion."

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kirk purchased "Golden Leaves and Cliffs"

The John and Melissa Clark family with their new plein air painting "Mount Abraham - Court of the Patriarchs"


Pastel artist Arlene Braithwaite (shown painting by the Virgin River) went home with my painting "Memories of Moran" (above)

Patricia Pospahala was with a bus tour that stopped briefly at the Human History Museum art exhibit, but it was long enough for her to purchase "Canyon Serenity" and have it shipped to her home in Chester, Virginia.

"Beneath the Watchman" is a studio painting bought by Bryan Adams from the Human History Museum exhibit during the event

Also thanks to John Wright, from Las Vegas for his purchase of "Below Angel's Landing." I was not present when he bought the painting, so I was not able to get his photograph, but I appreciate it just as much. I am also appreciative to Zions Bank for their purchase award of "Reds and Golds" painted along the Virgin River near Temple of Sinawava. I am honored that it will be added to their extensive corporate art collection.

Week-long Paint out in Zion a Success

Working on my "quick draw" painting at Zion National Park

Success! After a week painting en plein air at Zion National Park I'd have to call the whole event a rousing success. The week began on Monday with 24 invited artists from all over the nation setting up in places where Thomas Moran actually painted during an early exploration trip through the Zion area. Each day consisted of outdoor painting, a workshop, a demonstration and a seminar in the evening for both artists and the hundreds of attendees. The week concluded with a "Quick-draw" where the artists all furiously painted a complete piece in 90 minutes while onlookers watched intently. This was followed by a live auction, and finally a gala "wet paint" sale Saturday of all the paintings completed during the week. I must say I was quite tired at the end of the week, but thrilled to spend that much time working outdoors in my favorite place on earth. 40% of all sales went to the Youth and Art Initiative for the Zion National Park Foundation so everyone benefited. As it turns out I was the top selling artist, followed by John Cogan, Joshua Been, and William Scott Jennings. I'd like to thank all the collectors who came out to support us as well as those businesses issuing purchase awards. I was pleased to receive a purchase award from Zion's Bank.

My quick-draw painting underway

My quick draw painting "Zion at Noon" was purchased by Nanette Rosevear of Daytona Beach Florida

Plein Air watercolor problems. When I started this painting early one morning the air was so cold my watercolor paints froze!


"Sentinel in the Morning" was purchased by Bob and Luisa Geiger of Azusa CA


"East Zion Arch" was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. David Webster

Getting Ready for Thomas Moran Plein Air Competition at Zion

l just finished another studio painting of Zion National Park. "Layers of Time" features the streaked wall and beehives which are prominent as you start the road up Zion Canyon from the junction. My view is from further up Bridge Mountain. Now I start preparations for the week-long plein air competition and sale in Zion National Park, "In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran."
The event kicks of Monday as 24 artists spread out over Zion and begin painting on location. Visitors will receive a map when they enter the park showing some of the locations where artists will be working. I will teach a two-hour workshop (filled) on Monday, then will paint at the Nature Center for a couple of hours. Hopefully I will be able to make a few posts here as the event progresses. Wish me luck!

Back from Mesa Verde National Park

We just returned from two weeks at Mesa Verde National Park where I finished my "Artist-in-Residency." What a fantastic experience it was to live in a wonderful hogan on the very mesas inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans. I was able to explore and hike amongst the ruins and cliff dwellings every day and marvelled at the great culture that existed on these plateaus. During the course of my stay I filled up a sketchbook with drawings of everything from ancient pottery and kivas, to ancient juniper trees and landscapes. I also completed 13 original watercolor paintings while there. I'm grateful to the folks at Cortez Cultural Center for helping me set up my public presentation. My thanks to Frank Cope and the Park Service people who were so cooperative and knowledgable during our stay. Check out my website to see all my paintings and sketchbook drawings.

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