Welcome to My Art Studio!

The dictionary describes an art studio as “the working room of the artist”, but I use my art studio for a lot more then that. Let me show you what I mean.

I certainly do a lot of painting in my art studio, and I also spend time researching on the Internet, reading books and studying blueprints or technical drawings. I love history, and my research shows me what a building, a ship or a lighthouse looked like at a particular time in history. I take my research and use my experience as an artist when I paint historical art. By that I don’t necessarily mean the subject I’m painting is some famous place or that some historic event happened there. I like visiting local historical societies where I may find some local building or ship or place as it was at a time in the past.

Many of our nation's lighthouses are gone, and I have an on-going project to paint many of our lost historical treasures. If you share my love of history, The Heritage Series will take you on an exciting trip to the past. I hope you’ll check out the Heritage Series page else where in this website for details on this fascinating topic.

When I’m working in my art studio on something that’s still here today or I’m working on a more modern subject I like to first visit the site, take photos, talk with people in the area, and perhaps visit a local historical society. I’ve found that a good digital camera is a real help in capturing many views of the site.

On location, finding the right light and color in a composition is sometimes at the mercy of clouds, sunsets, and the weather. People, animals and vehicles may intrude on the scene. It can be hard to work around. The digital camera is fast and accurate and provides me with many views of the scene. These images help me not only with my drawings but help with the color and composition of the painting as well.

When I’m ready to begin a painting, I do the rough sketches in my art studio. I plan the overall composition and sketch it out on the paper. Then I decide on the paints that I’ll use in the painting. I look at colors that work well together and help me communicate what I want to express in the painting as well as selecting the paints with pigments known for their archival qualities. I want the painting to last as long as possible. These days the paints should last well over a hundred years.

In my studio I can concentrate on the painting without interruptions for as long as I want to work. My studio has even and consistent lighting to reduce eyestrain and to accurately view the work. In addition to my painting table, my art studio includes my reference materials, a computer, a comfortable chair, and a stereo CD player. I do love my music! There’s room for matting and framing, and an adjacent enclosed area provides needed storage space.

Many of my paintings are reproduced as fine art Giclée prints. My studio space allows me to set up professional studio lighting to photograph my work for fine art reproduction as well as any promotional materials I need. I prefer to photograph the work in-house to insure the highest level of quality for clients, my art patrons and me.

Photographing art is an exact process with no room for mistakes, if you want the quality high-end collectors demand. I have the equipment to do this and the experience needed to do the work myself. If you’re interested in Photography or digital photography, please check out my webpage covering that rather large but fascinating subject.

I archive a digital image of each painting. After the image is in the computer I prepare the file for printing. This is another field where you need experience with computer editing and prepress or printer software and experience with color correction to accurately and faithfully reproduce the original art.

If I’m preparing art for a gallery show or one of my patrons, I may mat and frame the work in my art studio to maintain quality control and insure that the finished work is properly matted and framed with archival materials.

As you can see, my art studio provides a quiet space for me to paint, as well as a place I can do my research, prepare digital files, Giclée prints, and mat and frame my work. From time to time I invite friends or a fellow artist over to see how I paint and that’s fun for me. Studio guests find it interesting to see how it’s done and I get helpful feedback at the same time. My art studio is a place where art is explored and studied by good friends and follow artists. It’s also a place where we all share, learn, and improve our skills.

My son Mark frequently finds himself in my studio from time to time and offers his criticism and suggestions. I feel he really understands my art, and his usual positive comments let me know when a painting has successfully communicated what I’ve painted.

I’ve included my Artist Biography if you want to know more about me. My Artist Statement describes what drives me to paint and why I choose specific subjects to paint.

I’ve included many “art” terms throughout the site, and have included a convenient Glossaryfor you.

Painting is a visual medium, and if you want to see the artist in action, visit Painting Art: How Lee Paints. I’ll do my best to help you see for yourself what fine art painting is all about.