MeeLi Lee

Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Rex Steno and Family

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0000

oil on canvas / 20" x 16" / NFS

DPW

This portrait was commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. Rex Steno for their son's birthday, now an adult in his 30's!

The reference photo I used was from the day of his birth, his favorite photograph. I included their son's childhood treasures-his favorite storybook, Peter Pan; his favorite baseball glove and baseball; and his childhood football.

I used variations of orange and blue, complementary colors to produce vibrancy. I kept my palette warm to bring life and vitality into this portrait-the celebration of new life.

The Calm After the Storm

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 11:00:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6"x 6" / unframed

view auction or purchase

HERE

I was going through a box of old maps during spring cleaning this year and found a map of the Adirondacks Mountains in Up-State New York. My fingers traced through the roads that led to the campground my family and I frequented during hot summers to get relief from the city heat.

There it was on the map near Lake Placid...Rolland Pond.

During one of the overcast days, we drove from Rolland Pond to to Lake Placid to watch the skaters at the Lake Placid Ice Skating Rink that was built for the 1980 Olympics.

On our way back to the campsite, a summer rainstorm had blown through the campground. As we approached our campsite, we noticed the fly that covered one of our tents was missing. It had blown off during the storm.

We wondered where the fly had gone. We searched through our campsite without any success. We headed for the pond in hopes of finding our fly. To our amazement, the fly was caught on one of the rocks in the pond. We were very relieved that it had not floated away.

After attaching the fly onto our tent, we sat by the pond enjoying the setting sun.

Peach

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 02:19:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6" x 6" / unframed / $90

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Peach: a round, sweet fruit that has white or yellow flesh, soft yellow or pink skin, and a large, hard seed at the center; a person or thing that is liked or admired very much.

Each of us yearns to be liked, admired, and loved very much.

God loves us with an everlasting love. We can't escape Him. We're always in His thoughts...even in our worst moments He wants to know what's on our minds and hearts. He knows each of our inner workings even before we live them out. How can we ever say no to such love.

Psalm 139 says He loves us so much that a book has been written about us! Find out about His love for us and what's in His book about us. Come into a relationship with the One who created you and loves you very much.

Peach: a round, sweet fruit that has white or yellow flesh, soft yellow or pink skin, and a large, hard seed at the center; a person or thing that is liked or admired very much.

Mango On Wood Block III

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 07:00:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6" x 6" / unframed /$90

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Enjoy viewing Mango On Wood Block III, the third painting in my series of four mangoes.

Mango On Wood Block II

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 22:20:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 6" x 6" / unframed / sold

Enjoy viewing Mango On Wood Block II, the second painting in my series of four mangoes.

Mango On Wood Block I

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 01:05:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 6" x 6" / unframed / $90

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Mango On Wood Block I is the first in a series of paintings on the luscious mango. Not only did I have the fun of reproducing its shimmering skin using my oil paints, but I got to eat it afterwards! It was great fun varying the pressure of my brush to achieve the mango's glow.

The biggest challenge was keeping the light and shadow on the mango separate, yet softening the transition between the light and shadow.

How did I do?

Now let's feast on some mango in my recipe, Mango Curry Quinoa!

Brass Pot with Doily, Grapes, and Oranges

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 04:31:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 5" x 7" / unframed / sold

As with all my paintings, this was a joy to paint. I particularly, enjoyed the contrast of textures-the hardness of the brass pot, the delicate doily, the translucent grapes and orange slices, and the fading leaves.

I hope you enjoy this painting as much as I had painting it.

Little Pond II

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 02:11:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6" x 6" / unframed /sold

How this painting looks framed:

During the winter months, I get nostalgic for Little Pond, the campground in the Catskill Mountains in Up-State New York where my family and I camped during the hot summer months.

It was also the best time to call our best camping buddies and reminisce about our summer days at the beach at Little Pond. During our conversation, we'd plot and plan our next trip-the dates and the campsite numbers.

Little Pond II is a view from our campsite, right next door to our camping buddies.

Each evening as the sun set, I'd stand by the lakeshore and absorb the quiet and watch the beams of flashlights coming from the roadless, remote campsites at the other end of the lake. I'd wonder who could be signaling. Were the beams a lonely camper seeking company?

Waterfall at Little Pond

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:46:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 5x7" / unframed / sold

How this painting looks framed:

Painting Waterfall at Little Pond brought back many fond memories. Little Pond is a New York State Campground in the Catskill Mountains where my family and I camped for many years. Each summer we saw the same families. We shared meals, swam at the beach, hiked, canoed, toasted marshmallows, watched beavers build dams, drove to Woodstock to have lunch, caught a movie in Liberty on a rainy day, searched for antiques in Margaretville, and talked into the wee hours at the campsite of our friends, Steven and Elise.

Our daughters were best camping friends. They spent hours riding their bikes, had sleep-overs in each other's tents, and read together.

Waterfall at Little Pond is composite of all that I loved at Little Pond-the water, the sky, the mountains, the trees, the waterfall, and the calm at dusk.

This secret waterfall was introduced to us by Elise. It was our last view of Little Pond during our last visit too long ago...

Two Sickel Pears on Wood Block

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:12:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6x6" / sold

How this painting will look framed:

Two Sickel Pears on Wood Block was a challenge to paint. I thought the left pear would have been more difficult to paint, since it was positioned on its side-I was thinking with my left brain! As I painted by looking at the masses of color, it came together-using my right brain!

I also softened the back edge so that it would recede into the background. The front of the pear was brought forward with the addition of highlights.

Persimmon and Red Grapes

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:38:00 +0000

oil on linen on board / 6x6" / unframed /$90

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How this painting will look framed:

Persimmon and Red Grapes was a challenge to paint. I had two competing objects-the persimmon and the grapes. I had to keep the persimmon a cool orange and yet make it shimmer. I wanted it to be the focal point of the painting. To downplay the grapes, I kept the grapes as a bunch and highlighted specific ones to lead the viewer's eye toward the persimmon. Can you connect the dots that lead to the persimmon?

Apple Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 02:36:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 7x5" unframed / $90

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How this painting will look framed:

I found this beautiful pot at a thrift store and had to include it in this painting, Apple Sauce. The neutral color (a variation of the background color) of the pot with its soft edges on either side becomes believable through the added highlights and a bit of color to show off the reflections.

I really did make apple sauce with Honey Crisp Apples. The apple sauce was sweet enough without having to add any sweetener. The only thing was... I used a different pot. This one was too pretty to cook in!

Popcorn and Oil

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:21:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 7x5" /unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

Popcorn and Oil was a delight to paint. This painting was a lesson in edges. I loosely painted in the shape for all the popcorn pieces and the bottle of oil. Onto the cool white mass of popcorn, I applied warm white paint heavily (impasto) to pull out the shape of selected pieces of popcorn. Notice whereever there is impasto, the edges are hard-bringing that portion of the popcorn forward giving the popcorn pieces dimension.

The challenge was to maintain the shimmer of the oil in the bottle and make the bottle look glass-like, a liquid and a solid. The top left side of the bottle almost disappears (a soft edge) into the background. The top right side of the bottle is very solid looking (hard edge). To keep the viewer's eye away from the edges, I placed a highlight on the glass to draw the viewer's attention to the bottle. To keep the oil looking liquid-like, I painted very soft golden edges.

Are the edges convincing?

New Video! October-December 2011 Paintings

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:46:00 +0000

Tangerine, Ceramic Pot, and Grape

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:12:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 6x6"/ unframed / sold

How your painting will look framed:

Painting Tangerine, Ceramic Pot and Grape brought back many memories of the Chinese New Year celebrations with my family as a child in our one room home in the back of a Chinese laundry in New York City. Searching for the perfect tangerine to paint reminded me of my mom carefully sorting through the tangerine displays in Chinatown to find the golden orange ones with leaves. Displays of oranges or tangerines in bowls dotted our humble home. Based on Chinese tradition, oranges are symbolic of wealth, and tangerines represent good luck. The tangerine with leaves topped each of my mom's tangerine displays for the new year.

The leaf on tangerine is almost the same value (the lightness or darkness of a color) as the orange reflection of the tangerine in the ceramic pot. To help the leaf come forward, I painted the curled up edges a lighter value and gave it crisp edges.

May I suggest that you complement the viewing of Tangerine, Ceramic Pot, and Grape with my recipe for teedoys, a special treat for the Chinese New Year-the Year of the Dragon, 4710.

God Saw...and It Was Good... Ponderings on the Source of Our Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:39:00 +0000

I've been pondering about the source of creativity and what enhances its growth.

Creativity often feels like a river welling up within me. I only know the realness of this power when I'm practicing my craft, painting; but even more so when I haven't painted for a while, when I've been without. I can't go for too long without holding the implements of my craft. Just putting my brush to paint allows the flow of this spirited river. Some of my artists friends have felt this same energy when they cook a special meal, compose a song, write poem, paint a painting, perform a dance, play an instrument, or create a design. They too, have felt out of sorts and are about to burst, when they haven't practiced their craft for a while.

I have had the tremendous honor of repeating this creative process over and over again as a painter. The times when I've been satisfied with what I've painted, I step back from my painting, look at it from different angles and say to myself, This is good.

I feel an intimate relationship with chefs, composers, writers, poets, painters, dancers, musicians, and designers who have shared their talents with me and others by allowing this river to flow through them. Whether I view a museum painting, experience fine dining, read a poem, examine the intricate details of a design, or listen to a symphony; I sometimes say to myself, This is good. The art has taken my breath away. It has touched my spirit and lingers in my mind. I can't forget it. I want to go back and experience it again and again. The art resonates within me, and I'm willing to purchase it. It lingers in my mind so much that I'm willing to pay a price for it. I say to myself, This is good.

My ponderings on the source of creativity have taken me back to the beginning:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... and God saw that it was good... . God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them... . God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good... . (Genesis 1: 1, 25, 26, 31 NASB)

These verses show me a creative and intelligent God who has created me. Since I have been created in His image; I too, have this creativity. He is the source of my creativity. It's really all His. I've also noticed the words used to describe God's observation of His creation each time He completed a part of it, and God saw it was good; and the words of His final observation that punctuates His satisfaction and contentment, God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good when He completed His entire creation. I too, have found myself saying and thinking similar words about my art or the art of others, This is good.

My ponderings on the beginning from Genesis have led me to conclude that ever since the beginning, God hasn't been able to take His eyes off of His creation, me... us. He lingers and stays with me... us. He just can't take His eyes off of me... us; in fact, when Adam and Eve disobey God, He offered mankind redemption in His Son, Jesus. God as a loving, compassionate God who offers His Son as a substitute for our misdeeds—a pardon, freedom:

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6 NASB)

When I align myself to God and submit to His plan, I've found the source of my creativity and the power that will enhance its grow.

God can't take His eyes off of what He has created, you... and me. We linger in His mind so much that He was willing to pay a very high price for you... and me. In the same way a patron may pay for my art, God has paid for us, His masterpiece. We... I linger in His mind, and He was willing to pay a very high price for you... me, God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good... .

Bartlett Pear

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:27:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 7x5"/ unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

Bartlett Pear is an example of Chiaroscuro-light and shadow. There is a thin transparent shadow and a thick impasto for the lights in this painting. Everything in the painting except the light is background for the painting including the shadow in the pear. Squint your eyes. Everything except the light is the same value (degree of lightness or darkness) or close to the same value. This serves as a foil for the light falling on the nooks and crannies of the pear. This same concept would apply if I were painting a portrait. Try super-imposing a face onto the pear. Get the picture?

Japanese Eggplant

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:36:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 5x7" / unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

Japanese Eggplant is a departure from my paintings with darker backgrounds. This lighter background offsets this Japanese eggplant beautifully. I couldn't resist painting this perfectly shaped, fresh (notice the light green stem) eggplant. I won't tell you how long I stood in front of the eggplant display in the fruit and vegetable department of my local Chinese grocery store looking for this perfect eggplant!

The challenge was to paint the eggplant light enough using reflections and a highlight. Otherwise this lovely eggplant would be one solid purple mass! Notice the reflected light is part of the shadow. Since the reflected light is part of the shadow, it should be darker than any part of the light of the eggplant and lighter than any part of the shadow of the eggplant. Squint your eyes while looking at the eggplant. The purple of the eggplant near the highlight is lighter than the reflected light at the bottom of the eggplant closest to the wood.

Bosc Pear

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:47:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel / 7x5"/ unframed /sold

How this painting will look framed:

In setting up my still life paintings, I often look for objects that are distinctive. The contrast of brilliant greens and the shimmer of pale red-orange in the brown attracted my eyes. I must have stood in front of the Bosc pear display for about a half hour before I found the right pear (I was wondering what the the other shoppers around me were thinking!). When I found it, I held it like it was a chunk of gold! Whatever I select to paint, must inspire me to want to paint it and to continue to inspire me to want paint it for days when it is a large painting. The colors of this Bosc pear served as such an inspiration.

The challenge was to maintain the same value (degree of lightness/darkness) in the lights while changing the color. Squint your eyes and look at the light (the left side) on the pear-some green and some pale red-orange. The colors are different, but the degree of lightness is still the same.

In addition, notice the shadow (the right side) of the pear. It maintains its shape to make the pear look three-dimensional. This shape also helps me to see and gauge the size of the light shape on the left. I compare the size of the light/dark shapes as I paint. All this talk sounds very left brain, but looking at the shapes is a right brain function.

Two Apples

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:31:00 +0000

oil on linen on panel, 6x6" / unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

Two Apples was very enjoyable to paint. I loved capturing the vibrant colors of these fresh apples. I imagined myself biting into one and hearing the crispy crunch and tasting the sweetness of its flowing juices.

To maintain the solid look of the apples in this painting, I tried to maintain the shadow in each apple. It is the shadow that makes an object look three dimensional. The shape of the shadow also helped me gauge

the shape and size of the light areas on the apples.

May I suggest you enhance your viewing pleasure of this painting by pairing it with my recipe, Hot Apple Cobbler-a delicious, healthy, grain-free dessert.

New Video! July-September 2011 Paintings

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:33:00 +0000

Peaches and Cream

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:07:00 +0000

oil on linen panel, 7x5" / unframed /sold

I enjoyed painting Peaches and Cream. The biggest and most pleasant challenge was to maintain the balance of fuzz and brilliant color on the peaches. I first painted the yellow, orange, and red. While these colors were still wet, I painted a diluted mixture of white and alizarin over the brilliant colors-I glazed the brilliant colors with a very light touch. I then removed some of the glaze with a clean brush to allow some of the brilliant colors to show.

On the left you'll notice a clump of cherries. They were painted in one mass. With some warmed alizarin and a few strategic highlights, I made some of the cherries pop. Not every cherry was been painted to allow you, the viewer to use your imagination! My intention was also to keep the cherries a mass to call as little attention to them as possible-keeping them as part of the background so that your eyes stayed focused on the peaches.

The pitcher and yellow peach are very close in value (degree of lightness or darkness). To make the pitcher recede, I cooled the white. I warmed the yellow peach with a bit of orange added to the yellow to make it come forward. To further hold your eyes on the peach and not the pitcher, I added a highlight on the peach. Test this out by closing your eyes, and then opening them. Where did your eyes look?

To enhance your viewing pleasure of Peaches and Cream, may I suggest pairing it with my recipe, Peach Cobbler featured in my for and wellness blog.

How this painting will look framed:

Bowl Of Cherries

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:57:00 +0000

oil on linen panel, 7x5"/ unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

This painting was a challenge and pleasure to paint. I enjoyed working on the reflections on the bottle. I've been learning a great deal about reflections. As in painting reflected light, reflections should be the same value (lightness/darkness of a color) as the value of the bottle (object) and not lighter than the lightest light on the bottle (object). To check to see if I've accomplished this, I squinted my eyes. The reflection should blend in with the rest of the bottle (object) or close to blending in with the bottle (object). When painted just right, the reflections appear to be floating on the surface of the object. They add life to the object. In alla prima painting, the proper value is painted without repainting over the first layer. In classical painting, the reflection is actually floated onto the surface of the object with thinned opaque paint after the original layer has dried. This is called scumbling.

To enhance your viewing pleasure of Bowl of Cherries, may I suggest pairing it with my recipe, Raw Cherry Pie featured in my food and wellness blog.

Reflections: Still Life with Orange and Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:12:00 +0000

oil on linen panel, 7x5"/ unframed / sold

How this painting will look framed:

The challenge in painting Reflections: Still Life with Orange and Bottle were the reflections on the bottle. I wanted to use the highlights and the orange's reflection on the bottle to create dimension as well as give the painting life and light; yet, keep the reflections from over-powering the bottle. To accomplish this, I had to make the orange reflection on the bottle as close in value (the lightness or darkness of a color) as possible with the rest of the dark bottle. To see if I accomplished this, squint your eyes and look at the orange's reflection and the rest of the bottle. They should be very close in value, almost the same darkness. What do you think? Are the bottle and the orange's reflection almost the same darkness when you squint?

To enhance your viewing pleasure of Reflections: Still Life with Orange and Bottle, may I suggest pairing this painting with my recipe, Chocolate-Dipped Candied Orange Peel.

White Onion

noreply@blogger.com (MeeLi Lee) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:06:00 +0000

oil on linen panel, 6x6" / sold

How this painting will look framed:

White is often very difficult to paint, because white is not really white. There are many kinds of white.To make this white onion look three dimensional, I changed the temperature of the white. Look carefully. Notice where I warmed the white by adding some orange (cadmium orange) to make parts of the onion come forward. Look carefully again. Notice where I cooled the white to make parts of the onion recede.

I've been noticing that the main focus of my paintings have been food-fruits/vegetables. I realize fruits and vegetables have traditionally been the main focus of still life paintings, but I have an additional passion for food-I love to cook and bake. I find it extremely enjoyable to create new recipes and sometimes re-create something I've eaten at a restaurant.

So, to make the viewing of this painting even more enjoyable, may I suggest it be paired with some gazpacho soup!