Plein Air Painting Workshop Day One - Red Cliffs of Kayenta Near Ivins

Outdoor painting workshop posing at the Ivins Reservoir. Back Row: Alice Robinson, Marsha Owen, Kelly McKelvey, Paulette Triplett, Mary Brown, Mark Rose. Front Row: Connie Madsen, Cindy McGregor, Dixie Stoddard, Sally Valiton, Margo Cook.

We were all tired by the end of two days, but we packed in a lot of plein air painting at the Roland Lee Plein Air watercolor workshop last week.
     After a short orientation session and Powerpoint presentation at Passion for Painting Studio, we carpooled out to the Kayenta area near Ivins, Utah to start our outdoor painting efforts. I began with a quick watercolor demonstration using the brilliant red cliffs and amazing views as my subject. My goal was to give the artists a few tips on capturing the fleeting and constantly changing shadows on the cliffs. They were eager to learn, and picked it up quickly, moving on to their own paintings.
     We took a noon break with lunch at Kayenta's Xetava Restaurant, viewed the artwork at the Datura Gallery then went to work again in the beautiful desert gardens adjacent to the art village. Some chose cactus flowers and others keyed in on the native flowers as we once again worked on capturing light and shadow. We finished the day with a visit to the spectacular Ivins Reservoir where we gathered for a group shot.

The Red Cliffs of Kayenta were spectacular against the vivid blue sky and billowing clouds

Cindy McGregor hard at work

Mark Rose, Margo Cook, and Dixie Stoddard each chose different vantage points

Marsha Owen traveled from Arizona to participate in the Roland Lee plein air workshop

Sally Valiton is a seasoned artist from Ridgecrest California

Alice Robinson works among the Desert Marigolds

Mark Rose happily works on his painting in the Kayenta Art Village desert garden

Cindy McGregor is ready to go

Paulette Triplett has a comfortable set-up

Roland Lee painted a cluster of yellow desert flowers

Dixie Stoddard looks relaxed as she works on a painting of cactus flowers

Dixie Stoddard's brilliant little study in watercolor

Connie Madsen found a shady spot in the Xetava Gardens at Kayenta Art Village

Mary Brown painting in the garden at Kayenta Art Village

Kelly McKelvey looking content and happy as she paints in Kayenta Art Village's garden

Utah Plein Air Painters Show and Paint-out Hosted by Fibonacci Gallery

The Plein Air Painters of Utah gathered in St. George May 4 for a special paintout and show at the elegant Fibonacci Gallery in St. George Uah. After a morning of plein air painting amid St. George's beautiful landscapes, a group of about 10 artists set up their easels outside the gallery. Collectors watched as each artist painted a piece between 3pm and 6pm, then had a chance to bid on the paintings during a silent auction. Each artist also displayed about five other originals inside the gallery, including both plein air and studio paintings. I was fortunate to have acclaimed artist Bev Doolittle stop by and purchase one of my original plein air watercolor paintings of "the Sentinel" at Zion. It was a surprise and certainly an honor.

Artist Roland Lee (left) with Fibonacci Fine Art Gallery owner Dr. Rob Benson at the Plein air Painters of Utah show

Among the artists participating were: Kimball Warren, Susette Gertsch, Steve McGinty, Steve Stauffer, Rob Colvin, Dianne Turner, Rebecca Hartvigsen, Josh Clare, Frank Huff, and Laurie Eskelson.

Art on Wheels, My New Travel Studio

My new Six Pac Super Mini camper traveling art studio on location at Arches National Park

It's not really new--in fact I would call it pure vintage--but it is going to be my new studio on wheels. Nellie and I took a trip to Moab last week to pick up this sweet little ride. We purchased it from a great couple who have owned it since day one, and used it to explore the deserts and canyons around the southwest. They since upgraded to a beautiful new rig and reluctantly said goodbye to this little Toyota 4x4 and Six Pac Super Mini Camper. I'm hoping to infuse some new life in it as a travel studio. The camper has just enough room to handle my painting gear, and enough windows that I can actually paint from inside on cold winter days in the hills. Plus, a wonderful bed for an afternoon nap. I tested it out at Arches National Park and I think it is going to be just right. Two old duffers, still hard at work!

Roland Lee Presents Live Watercolor Painting Demonstration at Snow Canyon

I recently had the pleasure to meet and talk to a wonderful group of people from the Salt Lake city area. The group meets regularly to study various topics, and had asked me to talk about art and give them a live demonstration of plein air painting. I chose a comfortable spot for them in beautiful Snow Canyon, near St. George, Utah and painted while fielding questions about my work. It was an enjoyable experience for all of us. At the conclusion R. Thompson, purchased the finished watercolor demonstration painting and we had prints made of it for all the attendees.

A shady spot in Snow Canyon to watch the Roland Lee painting demonstration

The finished 8 x 12 painting in Snow Canyon was purchased by R. Thompson

Hundreds Show up for Book Signing and Live demo at Art of the National Parks Exhibit and Sale

"Split Rock Splendor" 8 x 12 watercolor by Roland Lee was painted as a demonstration at Split Rock Gallery "Art of the National Parks" Show and book signing

Art collector Dennis Evans poses with artist Roland Lee during live painting demonstration. Dennis purchased the finished painting. 

Literally hundreds of people showed up for a book signing and art show in celebration of the new book, "Art of the National Parks." Held at the Split Rock Gallery in St. George Utah, the show featured noted artists included in the book including: Kathryn Stats, Roland Lee, Joshua Bean, Ron Rencher, John Cogan, Linda Glover Gooch, Royden Card, Arlene Braithwaite, and others. The artists were inundated by a pressing crowd as they signed books throughout the evening. In addition to original paintings on display the artists painted on location during the day on Saturday, while guests watched, and asked questions. I had a wonderful group of art lovers gather round while I painted a Zion scene of the Sentinal. Dennis and Anna Evans watched eagerly, and returned later to purchase my finished painting called "Split Rock Splendor." Sales during the show benefit the Zion National Park Foundation "Youth Inititiative." All of the available $85 coffee table books were sold out during the book-signing event, but more can still be ordered at www.zionpark.org

Roland Lee signs "Art of the National Parks" books in front of his paintings at the Split Rock Gallery. Sales at the show benefitted the Zion National Park Foundation's Youth Initiative project

Plein Air Painting at the Red Rocks

My April painting workshop featured a potpourri of my favorite tips and techniques for working in watercolor. The second day we drove up to Pioneer Park above St. George for a morning of painting in the Red Rocks. It started quiet enough but we were soon overrun by excited and enthusiastic hikers and families out enjoying the warm sunny day. No problem, we just kept on painting, and the hikers enjoyed glancing over our shoulders as they passed by.

Art of the National Parks Art Show April 25 through May 17 at Split Rock Gallery

This Roland Lee painting of East Temple in Zion National Park appears in the book, "Art of the National Parks" and will be displayed at a book signing event and show April 25 at Split Rock Gallery in St. George UT

Article published in Spectrum newspaper, written by Lyman Hafen, Executive Director of Zion Natural History Association.

The Zion National Park Foundation, in cooperation with Split Rock Gallery in St. George, will host a major art show and sale April 25 through May 17, highlighting the work of artists featured in the new book “Art of the National Parks.” The event is designed to celebrate the role art has played in the creation of national parks, and in particular Zion National Park, and to raise funds for the Youth Education Initiative in Zion.

Jill Burt, director of operations and development for the Zion National Park Foundation, said the event is actually part of a national tour introducing the book that features paintings by some of the country’s finest artist in many of the nation’s most beloved national parks.

“We are very pleased the book includes a magnificent section on Zion National Park,” Burt said. Among the artists featured in the Zion section are Roland Lee, Royden Card, Arlene Briathwaite, Ron Rencher, Kathryn Stats and John Cogan, all of whom will be present at the artists’ reception, sale and book-signing from 6 to 9 p.m. April 25 at Split Rock Gallery in the tower at Ancestor Square.

The work of two other artists, Joshua Been featured in the Rocky Mountain National Park section, and Linda Glover Gooch featured in the Grand Canyon National Park section, will also be part of the show.

Burt said on April 26, the guest artists will be painting in and around Ancestor Square from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This will be a great follow-up to the St. George Art Festival held a week earlier,” Burt said. “We’re excited to give the area’s art enthusiasts an opportunity to meet these excellent artists, see them work, and have a chance to buy a piece of their work for their own collections. And the best part is that when you buy something for this show, you are supporting Zion National Park.”

The book itself will also be on sale. The 432-page tome is a compilation of images and text sharing the story of the important role of original art in the creation of America’s first national park and subsequent national parks. In her introduction to the book that includes magnificent reproductions of historic art as well as the work of more than 60 contemporary artists, Jean Stearn quotes William Henry Jackson, who wrote that his photographs and Thomas Moran’s watercolors made during the Hayden Expedition to Yellowstone in the early 1870s “… were the most important exhibits brought before the Congressional Committee. The wonderful coloring of Moran’s sketches,” he wrote, “made all the difference.”

Lyman Hafen, executive director of the Zion National Park Foundation, said the art show and sale at Split Rock Gallery is a continuation of the story of art in the national parks.

“It’s a story that began with those iconic early painters who came out west and created amazing images of these landscapes and took them back to the nation’s population centers to help people truly see what they had the power to protect,” Hafen said. “Today, great artists continue to interpret these majestic landscapes and help us remember that they are still worth protecting. Visitors to this show at Split Rock Gallery will have a unique opportunity to see some of the best contemporary art of the national parks, and to meet the great artists who produced them.”

For information, call the Zion National Park Foundation at 435-772-3264. Or email znha@infowest.com.

Outdoor Sketching Class

Here is a group photo sent to me by Deena Millicam of our March drawing class in St. George. The photo shows our group on the red rocks above St. George where we studied the effects of light and shadow. this was an outstanding group and their sketches were amazing. Thanks Deena!

What could be more fun than being with a group like this sketching outdoors in sunny St. George?

Art of the National Parks - A compendium of artists who are at the forefront of twenty-first-century American landscape and wildlife art

The paintings of artist Roland Lee are featured in this new award-winning book. Eight of the featured artists will participate in a special show and book signing April 25-26

Book signing and art show reception April 25 6-9pm at Split Rock Gallery. The Zion landscape paintings of Roland Lee are featured in the new book: Art of the National Parks, Historic Connections, Contemporary Interpretations (Fresco Publications 2013) which was named the Winner of the 2013 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards for Arts and Best Book. This wonderful new coffee-table-sized book illustrates the role artists continue to play in sharing the views and interpretations of nature and wildlife in our National Parks. In Art of the National Parks, seventy painters and sculptors offer unique visions of eight of the nation’s most loved National Parks: Acadia, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion. Susan Hallsten McGarry, well-known author and former editor of Southwest Art Magazine, does an admirable job of explaining the artists’ various styles, techniques, and philosophies. Art historian/author Jean Stern, director of the Irvine Museum, talks about the history behind the early artists who started a landslide of national interest in our country's wild lands--eventually resulting in the establishment of the National Park system. Terry Lawson Dunn, biologist and educator, highlights the national parks’ ecological successes and challenges. With more than 450 full-color images, this heavy, large-format book is a must for anyone who enjoys our National Parks. According to reviews "It is an indispensible compendium of artists who are at the forefront of twenty-first-century American landscape and wildlife art."

Award Winning Painting at Sears Invitational

Artist Roland Lee stands by his award-winning painting at the 2014 Sears Invitational Art Show at Dixie State University in Utah

I submitted two paintings to the Sears Invitational Art Show at Dixie State University. Both paintings were done as demonstrations at recent watercolor painting workshops. My watercolor painting "Irish Welcome" depicted my interpretation of the entry to a thatched cottage with red windows and door. The idea came from a sketchbook study done in pencil on location in Ireland. The second watercolor painting in the exhibit, "Shakespeare Memories" was stimulated by a visit to Shakespeare's Stratford-Upon-Avon in the UK. Both were painted during a recent workshop on how to work up a studio painting from sketches.

Award-winning Roland Lee painting "Irish Welcome"

Roland Lee painting "Shakespeare Memories" based on a visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon