Lee Edwards is an artist working in Duarte, California. His landscapes and cactus paintings are increasingly being exhibited around Southern California and winning awards in juried shows. Art collectors own his paintings in several states. He is an active member of the California Art Club, the Mid-Valley Art League, and the San Gabriel Fine Arts Association.
His paintings are usually sketched in oil paint on location using a French easel and canvas panels and then translated in the studio to larger stretched canvases.
"The art of painting from life has been a lifelong learning process. I enjoy the challenge of creating a compelling image with a pleasing composition. The process of selecting a motif is the most critical part of my art making, relying on first impressions and intuition. Then comes the hard work of making the motif work successfully. My goal is to render the light in natural color reflecting a specific moment in time and to create an image worthy of repeated viewings."
Recent paintings have been a series of cactus in their natural landscape environment. "I find the sculptural forms of cactus intriguing. They provide ready-made form and content with simple shapes but with complexity in color and shadow patterns, looking very different at various times throughout the day. I like the way the cast shadows mingle with the negative spaces around the cactus creating abstract forms." Painting influences have been Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, William Wendt, Guy Rose and Edgar Payne.