How did you get started and then develop your career?
Lee MacLeod: I started out in the art world as an illustrator working on movie posters, book covers and game art. I trained at Art Center College of Design and graduated in 1980. I never enjoyed working digitally, and when that became a norm in the industry, I turned my attention to fine art.
How do you find inspiration?
Living in New Mexico, it just seemed logical to paint what inspired me, which is our amazing landscape.
How do you describe success?
For me, success is not necessarily in creating a saleable painting but in creating an image that I like and that captures the place and my feeling about it.
Who do you collect?
Since moving into the fine art field and concentrating on landscape painting, I have been influenced by a number of great artists. The three that have had the most impact on my career are Dave Ballew, Bill Gallen, and Mike Lynch. I have had the honor of studying with all three of them at various times and, not surprisingly, I have chosen to collect those artists.
I much prefer to have the work of other artists who inspire me on my walls rather than my own pieces although I do have a few of my own that I can’t bring myself to part with. Sometimes, you just get lucky and produce something so unique that you feel you need to hang onto it.
To see more of Lee’s work, visit: www.leemacleodfineart.com
