By Chelsea Reed
Few paintings can capture the wonder and excitement of the natural world like that of Lee Mims. Filled with vibrancy, movement and rich colors, her paintings spring to life and capture the viewer’s imagination. Her excellence of form, shadow and light have deemed her to be a Modern Master of our time. Let’s take a look inside the life of this artist, how she became a painter, and the marvelous work she does today.
Lee Mims has loved the outdoors since she was little. She grew up on a farm in the countryside near Raleigh, NC. “I think my childhood on a farm created in me a lifelong love of animals and the great outdoors and a desire to recreate the beauty I saw around me,” says Mims. Eventually, this desire transformed into painting beautiful masterpieces! Mims taught herself how to paint. She enjoys painting commissioned portraits of horses and family pets today.
As Mims grew up, she went to college at UNC Chapel Hill and earned her Masters degree in Geology. Her love of nature inspired her to become an accomplished field geologist. Mims learned everything she could about the elements and chemistry that shape our planet Earth. But she often painted in her free time to relax. As Mims painted, she figured out how to use her “rock nerd” knowledge to formulate her pigments to best capture her expression!
After Mims had children, she changed her career from a geologist to a horse trainer. She continued to make paintings on the side, but family and friends discovered her remarkable talent. They loved her art and started making requests for portraits. She gained enough clients to open her own studio and paint full time, including for doctors, judges, Senators, and businesses. As they say, the rest is history.
Knowing her chemistry well, Lee Mims scoured the market for the finest oil based pigments with the intent to paint a lasting legacy. But pigment alone wasn’t enough. Mims knew she had to master her technique. She sat under the renowned Raleigh illustrator Bill Tilton to learn how to paint wildlife with excellent form and anatomy. She then trained under Plein Aire Masters Heiner Hurtling and John Seerey-Lester to perfect the characteristics of painting nature. The result is a unique ability to portray realistic animals with bold color and imaginative expression in beautiful lighting. This combined experience helped Mims become an expert artist and Modern Master in her own right. She has now painted her creations for over twenty-five years!
Lee Mims is featured in Seaside Art Gallery’s Modern Masters Event. The show features 40 days of 40 of her paintings! See them right here before they’re all gone.
Chelsea Reed is a copywriter who writes winning content, articles, blogs, and websites from her base in North Carolina. She might not be building sandcastles or swashbuckling with pirates these days, but the Outer Banks beaches continue to keep her young at heart.
