Plein Air painting demonstration for Dixie Watercolor Society

My good friend and fellow artist Myron Laub asked me to do a quick plein air painting demonstration at the monthly paint-out of the Dixie Watercolor Society this week. He chose a wonderful spot on the edge of Green Springs near St. George with a grand view of the red cliffs and Pine Valley Mountain. My job was to show how I approach the subject of sage brush in watercolors.
  I started by explaining how our artistic eye is drawn to the lightest light against the darkest dark as we find edges and shapes in nature. I showed how the morning light distinctly outlined the edges of each sagebrush and showed the soft whispy structure of the plant against the dark shadow side of the bush behind it. I did a fast pencil value study to show how it works, then launched into a quick quarter-sheet demo in watercolor. Following my demonstration the others in the group retired to their individual painting spots and went to work creating their own images.

My plein air demonstration painting for the Dixie Watercolor Society

Southern Utah Art Guild Paint Out at the Red Mountain in Ivins, UT

Me with my finished painting

I'm always looking for a good excuse to paint outdoors, so when the Southern Utah Art Guild announced a plein air paint-out near Snow Canyon I jumped at the chance. A few faithful members gathered at the top of 300 East, which stops at the foot of Ivin's big Red Mountain. I was a little late due to Saturday morning chores, and some of the artists including Royden Card and David Hansen had already  got a good jump on their paintings. Art event guru Bobbi Wankier and SUAG president Michael Foot were there cheering us on and snapping photos of the artists at work. Bobbi's husband Erric Wankier worked on an amazing pastel painting while I worked in watercolor.

Roland Lee 5 x 8 watercolor study of the Red cliffs done on location during the paint out

She decided to shoot a short video of me painting for publicity purposes. Ever the teacher, I decided to do a step-by-step instructional video as long as I had a willing camera person. So I proceeded to explain how I chose the view, sketched out the scene and built up the glazes in succeeding values to the finished piece. Of course the painting was small, and I painted a little faster than usual so as not to bore the viewers. But it turned out okay. We'll probably post the video on YouTube at some point.

Erric Wankier with his pastel painting of the cliffs

Plein Air Painting in Zion Canyon

Painting from this lovely spot, we enjoyed the view of Mt. Moroni and the rush of the Virgin River falls in Zion National Park.

Painting outdoors on location can be difficult at times. The focus of a recent workshop was learning how to identify a good subject in nature, and how to adapt to the changing light and shadow. The first day we worked from a wonderful shady green spot in Snow Canyon near St. George Utah, then traveled the second day to Zion National Park where we chose two pastoral spots to test our skills.

Everyone enjoyed a different set-up for painting on location

Showing off the results of our quiet morning's efforts

The first objective in any outdoor painting effort is to narrow down what you are looking at, to find something manageable in the time you have. Begin with a quick thumbnail value study to isolate the subject matter, and give yourself a roadmap to follow. Since the light changes by the minute, it is necessary to follow your sketch as you begin painting, establishing the shadows quickly, and sticking to your plan even though the scene constantly changes.

It helps to keep your painting small, under 11 x 14. I feel comfortable completing an outdoor painting in about an hour and a half. Anything longer than that, and you may as well be in the studio because you are making up just about everything anyway. I was pleased with our efforts as I feel like we captured the essence of both canyons in watercolor.

Kids Get to Paint at Discovery Day in Zion National Park

Artist Roland Lee let Dallin Taylor add a few brushstrokes to his plein air painting during Discovery Day. Plenty of paints and palettes were on hand for families to try out and Dallin was all grins when he got to paint on Roland's painting.

Dallin Taylor poses with Roland Lee in front of the painting he helped paint at Discovery Day in Zion National Park

Three of my favorite National Park Superintendents. Left to right: Paul Roelandt from Cedar Breaks; John Hiscock from Pipe Spring; and Jock Whitworth from Zion National Park.

Barb Graves, the education coordinator for Zion National Park with Roland Lee. Barb is responsible for implementing the Youth Education Initiative, sponsored by the Zion National Park Foundation. Funds raised by the foundation help bring youth into the national parks. 

This past week was National Park Week and visitors received free entrance to Zion National park. To celebrate, Zion Park had a wonderful "Discovery Day" with free activities aimed at kids and families. There were lots of displays and demonstrations from Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Pipe Spring National Monuments with interpretive rangers on hand to answer questions. The old time fiddlers pitched in to provide music, and the weather cooperated with plenty of sunshine. Several of the artists who will participate in the "Footsteps of Thomas Moran" plein air competition in November were on hand to demonstrate their skills. Visitors were excited to watch the painters work on location, and some of the artists even let the kids try their hand with a brush. All in all it was a fun day and great experience.

Painting Outdoors in Snow Canyon With the Dixie Watercolor Society

Roland Lee painting outdoors in Snow Canyon Utah

A small group of hearty artists braved a brisk 40-degree morning to paint outdoors in beautiful Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George Utah. We enjoy getting together once a month as members of the Dixie Watercolor Society to hone our plein air painting skills and have fun. In this case, our numbers were thin, due to a spring storm which rolled through overnight and dumped snow in the higher elevations all around us. We found a nice spot out of the wind with an excellent view of the canyon's red cliffs and went to work. I used a new Sienna brand pochade box that was given to me as a gift by my friend Mark Rose. Mounted on a sturdy tripod it proved to my liking as it easily adjusted the height to my 6'1" frame.  I customized it by adding an   Eldajon watercolor palette and collapsible water can. The Sienna paint box is available from A Passion for Painting.

The Sienna Pochade box has room for everything yet closes up into a compact box for carrying. A sturdy tripod has a a secure and speedy mounting clamp.

The Sienna pochade box set up in Snow Canyon

Painting Utah Barns in watercolor

Silver stained and weathered barnwood was the subject of our workshop

When I told my class we were going to paint a barn, I didn't mean with red paint and a roller. My latest workshop explored the nuances of weathered-wood and rusted-tin as we enjoyed painting this age-old favorite watercolor subject. We were lucky to have a couple of nice old relics nearby that survived into the modern day while civilization encroached all around them, including a bustling freeway nearby. It seemed a strange mix, as we sketched and painted the silvered wood with gaping holes, while big diesel trucks roared by us. Back in the studio later we used sketches to complete paintings with fantastic skies.

While the class sketched I did a quick watercolor painting of the old barns, while cars whistled by us on the freeway. It seemed a strange mix of the old and the new.

St. George Art Festival brings great weather and lots of collectors!

The St. George Art Festival held Easter Weekend in St. George Utah brought thousands of art collectors and hundreds of artists together. I have participated in the show since its inception back in the '80s, but it has grown to be one of the premier shows of its kind today. I displayed lots of new original paintings along with some new canvas-wrapped giclee prints that were popular among the buyers. I had several new collectors including Rod Shorey from California who had seen my work before, but purchased two nice originals for his collection. Both paintings were completed en plein air at Zion National Park. If you missed the show you can still stop by my art studio and gallery to see my current original paintings at 165 North 100 East, St. George UT. Call me if you are in town 435-673-1988.

Artist Roland Lee and collector Rod Shorey at the St. George Art Festival

St. George Art Festival Great Place to See Hundreds of Artist's Work on Display

Duane and Shauna Woodmansee purchased another painting for their collection

Last spring some wonderful collectors, Duane and Shauna Woodmansee purchased their first original watercolor from me at the St. George Art Festival. they stopped by my gallery yesterday to view my new paintings for this years festival and purchased another one for their collection. I'd like to invite everyone to stop by my double-booth at this year's St. George Art Festival Friday and Saturday March 29 and 30. It runs from 10am to 6pm both days in the fabulous St. George City Town Square. Stop by and see us. I'll have plenty of new paintings and prints on display.

How to Draw Almost Anything Workshop

Our beautiful town square provided plenty of outdoor sketching opportunities for our workshop on How to draw anything

Each year I teach one workshop on drawing. Of course drawing is fundamental to all art forms, but I  feel it is key to understanding how we see in nature. Learning to observe light and shadow with our artists brain allows us to quickly draw anything we see. This workshop included time in the studio as well as sketching outdoors in our travel sketchbooks. We explored methods for establishing value contrast quickly and describing mass and form with middle values in three simple steps. If you'd like to find out more, take one of my art workshops!

The Portland Art Museum - Some Thoughts on Fine Art

Artist Roland Lee at the Portland Art Museum

My volunteer work with the Zion Natural History Association and the Zion National Park Foundation took me to Portland Oregon this week for the annual APPL conference. While there I was able to slip away and visit some of the art sites including the Portland Art Museum. The public transportation makes it easy to get around, and the city is very friendly, so it was relatively easy to find our way to the Art Museum. They have a large collection covering many subjects and genres, with a current display of very contemporary works spanning the past century. Each trip to a museum causes me to think and re-think about what constitues fine art. While I can accept and appreciate that all art deals with human emotions, I must say that to create art that displays the worst of human behavior and flaunts the baseness of humanity is a waste of talent. Reality gives us enough of that. Most of the big museums provide their share of art pieces that are very disturbing, and the Portland was no exception. But thankfully much of the art was uplifting, especially the fine impressionist paintings -- and the display space was wonderful. In any case I always appreciate the many donors, docents, curators, volunteers, and patrons that provide places for us to enjoy art, and make our own choices.