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.

San Jose Watercolor Workshop

We just concluded a great workshop in San Jose. I was joined by 20 really good artists this past week for a watercolor workshop sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I met lots of new friends as we worked on the finer techniques of watercolor. Thanks to Jeanne Rousseau and Jane Kwant for organizing the event and making sure things went smoothly. Also congratulations to Doug Yirka, Jeanne, and Keiko O'Leary on their purchases of new original Roland Lee paintings. We look forward to our next workshop in 2014.

New Paintings of Snow Canyon and Sand Hollow Reservoir

Here are a couple of new paintings I completed recently. I thought I'd post them before heading off to California to teach a five-day watercolor workshop for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society in San Jose.


Nellie and I took our tent to Snow Canyon recently and camped overnight. The stars were great, but the sunrise was even better. This painting is a result of that campout.


Sand Hollow Reservoir in southern Utah is one of my favorite bass fishing lakes (as you might have read in my last post.) But it also has spectacular scenery as well. This painting features the big skies that always present a perfect backdrop to the scene. Both these paintings are on display at the Mission Gallery in St. George.

Aquatic Research

Okay, every artist needs a break from the easel. I tell my students you've got to fill the bucket before you can empty it back in the studio. last night my brother in law Robert invited me and my son Jon to participate in a little "aquatic research" at Sand Hollow Reservoir. As you can see by the photo our efforts were effective. Of course we practice "Catch and release" so in order to show two fish at once, we had to catch two at the same time which we did. We call it "Doubles" and it only happens when all the stars are lined up correctly, the moon is right, and you are very good fishermen. Tah dah!

Santa Clara Invitational Art Show

The Santa Clara Art Invitational last weekend drew a nice crowd of art collectors for the fourth annual show. About 24 artists were present to display their art and join together for a Saturday paint-out and auction. My auction piece was purchased by collector Chuck Norton.



Inside the Town Hall art collectors could stroll through displays from the participating artists including both studio and plein air paintings. Also on display were a number of fine sculpture pieces.Participating artists included Julie Rogers, David Koch, Steve McGinty, Fred Howard, Robert Call, Roland Lee, Darwin Dower, L'Deane Trueblood, Annette Everett, Kaziah Hancock(The goat Lady), Elva Malin, Marty Ricks. Rett Ashby, Kelly Donovan, Charles Dayton, Kieth Bond, J. Kirk Richards, Simon Winegar, Jeffery Pugh, Steven Lee Adams, Ken Harris, Joni Flint, Paul Graf, Matt Rogers, Robert McFarland, Richard Horrocks, and McGarren Flack.

I got a kick out of this "ladder-easel" setup that Marty Ricks was using. He said it worked better than his $500 easel which kept breaking. He also thought the step shelves were a nice feature, allowing plenty of room for storing equipment and drinks.


During the day collectors could bid on their favorite artworks in a silent auction. At the end of the day there was a scramble to get the last bid down.

Camping and Sketching in Snow Canyon

We awoke to this glorious view of the sunrise on Snow Canyon's cliffs

A couple of days ago Nellie and I decided to do some tent camping in Snow Canyon. The weather was perfect -- sunny with cool air. We took delightful evening hike on the "Hidden Pinion Trail" and enjoyed a grand night under the Utah stars. We awoke to a glorious sunrise and I was able to do a little drawing in my travel sketchbook. Ahhh the joys of living in paradise!

St. George Art Festival Re-cap

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my display at the St. George Art Festival last weekend. The weather was magnificent -- almost too hot, and the crowds were bigger than ever. We had lots of sales including originals, books, cards, and prints. I was honored by The City of St. George who purchased my painting "Springdale Morning" for the permanent collection of the St. George Art Museum. Having done a lot of outdoor art festivals in my time, I am quite sure this is the best festival of its kind. Kudos to Kent Perkins, his staff, and everyone involved for an amazing festival.


The City of St. George purchased "Springdale Morning" for the permanent collection

St. George Art Festival this weekend

I'll have a double booth at the St. George outdoor Art Festival Friday and Saturday April 21-22 and I hope to see YOU! Over 120 artists will be on hand at the Town Square so there will be plenty to see. For the family there is entertainment, kids' art area, food booths and more. I'll be displaying a couple of new giclee prints along with about 15 new original paintings. The weather forecast is sunny. See you there.

Painting Water in Watercolor Workshop

We just finished two wonderful days studying the ins and outs of painting water in watercolor. 15 excellent artists joined me for a two-day workshop sponsored by Warren and Carol Larson and the Hurricane Valley Arts Alliance. It's always a great experience to rub shoulders with fellow artists, but this group was especially talented and amiable. Participants included: John and Karel Armstrong from Prescott Arizona; Mark Gunn Rose from American Falls Idaho; Laura Huddleston from Snowflake Arizona; Barbara Malmberg from Riverside California; Johanna Monroe from Santa Rosa California; Pete Sauer from Salt Lake City Utah; Ann Williams from Springdale Utah; Michael Smith from Ivins Utah; Bill Sherwin from St. George Utah; John Mangels from St. George Utah; Shirlee Last from Hurricane Utah; John Griffith from Washington Utah;Daniel Fernie from St. George Utah; Eiko Anderson from Logan Utah. Click to see photos

New Roland Lee Gallery opens at Zion Mtn Ranch

Yep, we're officially open. We finally launched the new Roland Lee Art Gallery at Zion Mountain Ranch. Located inside the ZMR Trading Post just a mile from the east entrance to Zion National Park on SR9 we've partnered with Kevin McLaws to exhibit my original landscape paintings and prints of Zion and the surrounding areas. Our signs aren't up yet and we've got a few finishing touches to add, but we'll be in full swing in time for the busy vacation season. We'll also display and sell the amazing western bronze sculptures of Jerry Anderson. I hope to spend time up their this summer. Look forward to an open house celebration soon.

Zion Mountain Ranch resort is unique in that it is dedicated to preserving the pristine natural surroundings of its thousands of acres of high mountain meadows and forests that border Zion Park. Part of the preservation effort is to make a permanent home for the ranch’s buffalo herd.

Zion Painting on cover of SkyWest inflight magazine

I was pleased to have one of my Zion paintings grace the cover of the March/April 2011 issue of SkyWest, the inflight magazine of SkyWest and Delta Express airlines. They used my painting "A Patch of Blue" which depicts a peaceful scene along the north fork of the Virgin River in Zion National Park. They also quoted me in a travel article and I was featured in a sidebar.

College Art Tour of California Museums

The blossoms were in bloom at the Huntington Gardens

Nellie and I were fortunate to be invited to accompany a Dixie State College bus tour to California this week. It always charges up the juices to see fantastic art pieces up close and share the experience with other art appreciators. We visited the Getty museum, LA Art Museum, Getty Villa in Malibu, The Norton Simon museum in Pasadena, The Huntington Library and Gardens, and had a little time for the beach. My overall favorite place is the new Getty Art Museum in Los Angeles. The edifice itself and gardens are stunning by themselves. I always spend the first hour outside just enjoying the sheer design magnificence of the architecture and water feature. From every angle it is a design wonder, juxtaposing hard edges with amorphic natural shapes, with emphasis on the element of texture. And of course the art inside is fabulous indeed.

The recently completed Chinese Garden at the Huntington


Seeing the original artwork up-close is really a treat. Nellie rests her feet while some pretty famous paintings keep an eye on her.



I loved the striking contrast of hard edges and soft graceful curves at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles




The Roman gardens at the Getty Villa in Malibu

My long-time friend and art professor at Dixie State College, Glen Blakely, has introduced thousands of students and community people to the world of art, through his guided trips to Europe, Los Angeles and San Francisco museums.

Roland Lee Painting Receives award at Sears Invitational

The Dixie State College Sears Invitational Art Show kicked off yesterday with a gala banquet and a great watercolor painting demonstration by one of my favorite artists, Ian Ramsay. Ramsay won the purchase award last year, which qualified him to be this year's art seminar presenter as well as the juror of awards for the show. I was pleased to receive a third place ribbon for my painting of Lake Powell, "Mirrors of Stone." I was also grateful that my painting of Zion Canyon, "Zion Riverwalk" also sold at the show last night. My dear friend, Kristi Grussendorf received the blue ribbon in watercolor in her first time at the show. The show features hundreds of paintings by top artists in all media, and will be on exhibit in the Eccles Gallery on the campus through March 27.

Award at UWS Show in Ogden, UT

I was glad to get two paintings accepted into the Utah Watercolor Society Two-Star/Signature Show and was pleased to also receive an Award of Merit. My watercolor painting "Reflections of Solitude", a painting of Lake Powell, received the award while my painting "Scotney Tower" was also part of the exhibit. We traveled to Ogden, Utah for the opening reception at the Eccles Art Center in Ogden, Utah and enjoyed seeing a great exhibit and renewing acquaintances with all my fellow artists from UWS. Special thanks to show organizer Bethann Swanson for all her hard work and to Maura Naughton for safely delivering my paintings. I'm grateful to belong to such a well-run organization.

Painting Winter Snow in Watercolor

Once each winter I conduct a special workshop dealing with How to paint snow in watercolor. I love painting snow scenes but I am not particularly fond of the cold so I don't do a lot of outdoor painting in the winter. Instead I use my pocket camera and bravely dash out into the cold and shoot like crazy, then retire to the warmth of my studio to do my painting. All the reference material we used in this class was shot in the last few weeks up at the Clear Creek Ranch and at our cabin on the east border of Zion National Park. We had plenty of snow to work so I put together a PowerPoint showing how to paint the effect of heavy snowfall on evergreens and how reflected light and cast shadows can be used to describe mass and form in the winter landscape. It was a great class with some of my most accomplished students. The paintings shown here were done as demonstrations in class and are about 5" x 8" in size.