Lee Weiss (1928 – November 26, 2018) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

painter known for her

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

Early life and education

Lee was born as Elyse Crouse in 1928 in Englewood, California, and raised in nearby Santa Ana, California. She attended

California College of Arts and Crafts California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

for a year, studied under Nels Eric Oback, and was critiqued by Alexander Nepote. However, for the most part, Weiss was a autodidact, self taught artist.

Work

To achieve the specific textural qualities that she felt watercolor lacked, Weiss invented a watercolor technique in which she painted both sides of the paper, turning the paper back and forth while the paint was still wet. That way, the paint from one side transfers to the table and then to the other side of the paper, along with some of the table's texture. This process is continued until an adequate surface has been built up to suggest a subject and composition. In general, she worked away from the subject matter, in the studio without sketches or slides, allowing the process of painting to guide the portrayal. She also worked in a more traditional manner, foregoing the surface treatment of the paper, and starting directly with a brush and subject. She painted her impressions of a space shuttle launch in 1984, under the auspices of the NASA NASA Art Program, art program.

Awards and fellowships

Weiss won watercolor awards including the Medal of Honor for Watercolor at the Knickerbocker Artists and the Emily Lowe Memorial Award. In 2011 she was awarded a Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected exhibitions

Lee Weiss has had solo exhibitions in California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, including a 1962 solo museum show at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. She has been included in international group exhibitions in Japan and France."Lee Weiss." Museum of Wisconsin Art.
/ref> Her work was on display in the White House, in 1969 and 1972, when her paintings were selected for this honor by the Smithsonian Institution.

Collections

Lee Weiss has work in over sixty museum and corporate collections,Levy, Hannah Heidi. ''Famous Wisconsin: Artists and Architects.'' Oregon, WI: Badger Books, 2004. p. 232 including: the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Racine Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum.

Publications

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Death

On November 26, 2018, Lee Weiss died peacefully at home with her family by her side.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Lee 1928 births American watercolorists People from Inglewood, California Painters from California 20th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters American women watercolorists 21st-century American women painters 21st-century American painters 2018 deaths California College of the Arts alumni