Emilie lee

is a classically trained oil painter whose work is inspired by her adventurous lifestyle and her background in traditional realist painting. From the deserts of southern Utah to the Japanese Alps to her back yard garden in Carpinteria, her plein-air and still life paintings are meditations on the peace she finds in nature.

After earning a degree in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004, her work as a freelance writer and illustrator was published by outdoor adventure publications including “Alpinist Magazine”, Patagonia, and “Rock and Ice.” In 2008 Emilie moved to New York where she spent four years studying with renowned painter and educator, Jacob Collins. For three years after that she was a principal artist and instructor at the Grand Central Atelier. She is also a senior fellow at the Hudson River Fellowship. After eight years in NYC and a brief move back to her home state of Vermont, Emilie Lee is now based in Carpinteria, California. Since having her first baby in 2021 Emilie’s work has become more focused on local inspiration from the Carpinteria, Ojai, and Santa Barbara area.

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photo by Lauren Ross


EDUCATION                                                                                                                                

2012     WATER STREET ATELIER, GRAND CENTRAL ACADEMY, New York, NY

             Four year program in academic painting

2004     RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN, Providence, RI

             Bachelor of Fine Arts, Illustration  

 

TEACHING

2012-2016  Resident Artist and Instructor at the Grand Central Atelier, Long Island City, NY

2016-2017 Adjunct professor in the game art and animation department at Champlain College, Burlington, VT

2012 - Present Private classes and workshops in plein air painting, portraiture, figure, and still life painting, and visiting instructor at the Grand Central Atelier and Hudson River Fellowship.

 

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2021 American Art Collector Award of Excellence in the 110th annual CAC gold medal exhibition

2017              Accepted as a signature member of California Plein Air Painters

2015              First Place Cash Award at Mills Pond House Gallery, Saint James, NY

2015              Stobart Foundation Grant Recipient

2015              Telluride Mountainfilm Artist in Residence, Telluride, CO 

2015              Jentel Foundation Residency, Banner, WY (forthcoming)

2015              Glen Arbor Arts Association Residency, Glen Arbor, MI (forthcoming)

2013              Rabbit Island Residency, Calumet, MI

2011               Salmagundi Club, Membership, New York, NY

2009             Grand Central Academy, Alfred Ross Scholarship, New York, NY

2009-2013   Hudson River Fellowship Residency, Hunter, NY & Jackson, NH

2004             Vermont Studio Center Residency, Angel Award Fellowship, Johnson, VT

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2017           Dacia Gallery, New York, NY

2015           Stronghouse Gallery, Telluride, CO

2008          The Lizard Lounge, Portland, OR

2007          Rostel Gallery, Dunsmuir, CA

2005          Edwards Art Gallery, Plymouth, NH

2004          Climb High, Shelburne, VT

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023 Sullivan Goss, Santa Barbara, CA

“Wild Life” fundraiser for Lotusland Botanical Gardens

2021 Hillsdale Museum of California Art, Orange, CA

California Art Club’s 110th annual Gold Medal Exhibition

2019 Eleventh Street Arts, New York, NY

“Escape, Celebrating the Great Outdoors” curated by Emilie Lee

2018         California Art Club, Pasadena, CA

“Canyons to Coves”

2017 Old Main Gallery, Bozeman, MT

                  "Infinite Landscape" in collaboration with the American Prairie Reserve

2016         Eleventh Street Arts, New York, NY

                  "Wrap Me Up" Winter Small Works Show

2015         National Women's Art Association, New York, NY

                 "Summer Small Works Exhibition"  

2015        Dacia Gallery, New York, NY

                 "Figurative Exhibition"

2015        Janet Kurnatowski Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

                “Paperazzi”

2015        Salmagundi Club, New York, NY

                “Landscapes”

2014        Eleventh Street Arts, New York, NY

                “Inaugural Group Show”

2014        Edwards Art Gallery, Plymouth, NH

                “Contemporary Traditions”

2013        DeVos Museum of Art, Marquette, MI

                “Rabbit Island: Works and Research”

2013        Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT

                “Small Works Show”

2012        The National Arts Club, New York, NY

                “Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Arts Club Show”

2012        The Grand Central Academy, New York, NY

                “Grand Central Academy Salon”

2012        Jackson Historical Society, Jackson, NH

                “The Hudson River Fellowship”

2011        Mill Street Loft ARTS, Beacon, NY

               “The Great Hudson River Exhibition”

2010        Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, Golden, CO

               “Alpine Styles”

2009       The Racquet & Tennis Club, New York, NY

               “Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America Benefit Auction”

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Bradford Washburn American Museum of Mountaineering, Golden, CO

Entre Prises USA, Bend, OR