Marlene Lee

Marlene Lee is a contemporary impressionistic painter, working mostly in the alla prima style. Her calligraphic background fuels her brushstrokes. They provide just enough information about her subject matters, bordering between abstractions and realism. Her aim is to strike a balance between the freedom of abstraction versus the rendering of realism.

Growing up, Marlene was encouraged by her teachers in her art making. While attending college, she did freelance art jobs - murals, signs, ad illustrations.  Instead of an art degree, Marlene received a business degree and ended up working in accounting. She eventually went back to art as a graphic artist and later, while she was a stay-at-home mother, as a calligrapher. As her sons got older, Marlene returned to college and received a second bachelor in 2009, this time in studio art.

Marlene started out in watercolors by taking classes from the Davis Arts Center but after getting her art degree has painted mainly in oils. Subjects include still lifes, portraits, and landscapes. She regularly takes part in the YoloArts Art & Ag Project where artists are invited to visit and paint at selected Yolo County farms throughout the year. She is also an active member of a sketching group, Let’s Draw Davis; some of her sketches were selected for publication.

Marlene had been juried into the Crocker/Kingsley Juried Competition juried by Gregory Kondos (2015) and the Kennedy Gallery Twenty/20 Juried Exhibit (2021). Also, she had been juried into the YoloArts Art Farm Gala Juried Shows (2014, 2015 and 2016).