Lee Sautereau

After so many years of procrastination, I have finally decided to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an artist. During the past year I have attended excellent workshops taught by Armand Cabrera, Marcia Burtt, Michael Situ, and Susan Sarback. I have also spent every spare hour painting plein aire around San Diego and during my vacations.
It was during my vacation in England that I discovered the joy of watercolors. I had planned to paint in oils, packing all my paints, easel, canvas boards,wet panel carriers, etc. I had not anticipated how windy it is over there. I was only able to set up once and even then it was touch and go. Fortunately, I also packed a small Cotman watercolor set and 4x5 pad. I was determined to make the best of a bad situation. So, watercolors it is. Boy, what a discovery. After a few rough starts, I really started to get the hang of it. Now I consider watercolors to be my favorite medium. Prior to this trip, I was convinced that oils where king. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I’ll think something else.
During another trip to Washington DC, I made some more discoveries. While visiting the National Gallery I was able to see the works of some of my favorite artists. I enjoyed the Post-Impressionists, and Fauves the most: Van Gogh, Gaugan, Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Dufy, and Braque. After seeing such great works, I was inspired to produce bold and colorful landscapes of my own. Off I went, visiting the surrounding monuments with my watercolors. The results are in my gallery for you to judge.
After this very instructive year, I plan on learning even more, painting even more, and sharing my work as much as possible.