Collection: Ning Lee
Ning Lee was born and earned his masters in art in China. One feels his paintings just as much as one views them. Strong brushwork and impasto paint are hallmarks of his work. Drawn to the water, Ning finds inspiration in the southeastern United States.
Read Ning Lee's Bio and Features.
Ning Lee, is known for his strong brushwork and impasto paint, was born in Chongqing, a city in Southwest China. His artistic journey began at the School of Fine Arts at Southwest Normal University, where he received seven years of professional training focused on realism. After earning both his BFA and MFA in 1987, Ning began teaching at the Department of Oil Painting at his alma mater.
Throughout the early 1990s, Ning worked as a visiting artist at various art centers in the United States and Canada. Eventually, he settled in the New York metro area in 1996. He has exhibited his work in China, Canada, and the United States, garnering numerous awards and featuring in both corporate and private collections worldwide.
While Ning is an accomplished landscape and figurative painter, he harbors a deep passion for still life. His unique perspective on light, shadow, color, and form allows him to depict everyday objects with a contemporary realistic approach. This style infuses his paintings with orderliness, serenity, rationality, and harmony, along with a slightly surrealistic edge.
Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance masters and seventeenth-century Dutch masters, Ning applies the realistic skills honed during his academic training to create timeless still life paintings. Additionally, he finds artistic inspiration in the waters of the southeastern United States.
Ning Lee Artist Awards and Features.
- 2010 Best in Show, The Fifth Annual International Guild of Realism Juried Exhibition
- 2010 Artst's Choice, The Fifth Annual International Guild of Realism Juried Exhibition
- 2008 Honorable Mention in Still Life, International 2008 ARC Salon
- 2008 Finalist in Still Life, International 2008 ARC Salon
- 2008 Best of Still Life, Third Annual International Guild of Realism Juried Exhibition
- 2007 Finalist in Still Life, International 2007 ARC Salon
- 2007 Artist’s Choice, "Leading Masters of Realism”, International Guild of Realism Juried Exhibition
- 2002 Finalist in Still Life – National Annual Pastel 100
- 1997 Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Nebraska, USA
- 1995 Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., New York City, USA
- 1992 Banff Center for the Arts, Canada
Ning Lee Artist Selected Exhibitions.
- 2022 Ning Lee: Solo Exhibition, LePrince Fine Art, Charleston, SC
- 2012 Ning Lee' Landscape Painting Solo Show, Gumenick Gallery,The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, VA
- 2011 6th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibition, Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
- 2011 "Spark" -- Chinese Contemporary Art Invitational, Dantang Today Art Museum, Sichuan, China
- 2010 "Simplicity and Serenity" -- Ning Lee's Still Life World, Gumenick Gallery, The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, VA
- 2010 International Guild of Realism Fifth Annual Juried Exhibition, J. Willott Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
- 2009 "Masters of Realism", Weatherburn Gallery, Naples, FL
- 2008 "Capturing a Cherished Moment", Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts Gallery, Dennis, MA
- 2008 "Along the Shore", Renjeau Galleries, Natick, MA
- 2008 Third Annual International Guild of Realism Juried Exhibition, Scottsdale Fine Art Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- 2007 “Masterpieces for all Seasons", 2007 Annual Small Works Show, Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts Gallery, Dennis, MA
- 2007 Solo Painting Show, Rose Company Foundation Gallery, Howard Community College, MD
- 2007 “Leading Masters of Realism”, Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts Gallery, Dennis, MA
- 1998 Solo Painting Show, Howard Community College Art Gallery, MD, USA
- 1997 "There Is No Problem Today", Ontario Gallery of Chinese Arts, Toronto, Canada
- 1995 '95 Annual Chinese Painting Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan
- 1994 The 8th National Art Exhibition, Chengdu, China
- 1993 "New Chinese Art", Saw Gallery, Ottawa, Canada
- 1993 Chinese Art, Art Space Gallery, Peterborough, Canada
- 1992 "East Meets West: In a Post-Columbia World", A Space Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Ning Lee Artist Public Collections.
- Saint Clare’s Foundation, NJ, USA
- Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, NE, USA
- Chongqing High-Tech Zone, China
- Suiyuan Art Foundation, Taiwan
- Calumet College, York University, Canada
- Winters College, York University, Canada
Exploring Impasto as a Mark Making Technique in Oil Painting
Impasto painting, a technique that involves applying thick layers of paint to create a textured surface, is a form of mark making that has been utilized by artists for centuries. This approach allows artists to create visually engaging and expressive works by manipulating light and shadow, emphasizing texture, and adding dimensionality to their compositions.