Terry Lee

Artist Bio

Terry has created a truly unique style that sets him apart from others in the art world, and his work has been described as “a breath of fresh air in a world of sameness.”

Terry did not pursue art as a career until moving to southern California following a divorce in 1989. While there, he realized that painting was his “passion” and true avocation and decided to return to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho to dedicate his life to painting. Impressed with Terry’s style, a wildlife collector approached him to do a painting of a very large scale elephant. He has since become nationally and internationally known for his “larger than life” images of African and North American animals, which he encountered on numerous safaris and treks.

Terry’s style of painting was created thru a natural progression of experimentation and an internal feeling of color. His subject matter is diverse, ranging from beautiful exotic Serengeti scenes, lively and romantic Tuscan landscapes, and bold prominent still life’s of bright very edible fruits. He has been compared to the “Fauves”, translated to English as, “The Wild Beasts”, as they became well known as to their critics for their “wild” freedom of expression on canvas and bold usage of pure colors. The starting point of fauvism could be found in Van Gogh’s work during his stay in Aries. Van Gogh has always been a favorite of Terry’s as well as Matisse and Manguin. His paintings are creative, strong and bold. And like the fauvists before him, his main feature is expressing color strongly.

Returning to Coeur d’ Alene in the fall of 1994, Terry started a weekly drawing session with a live model. It was there that he became acquainted with internationally known Sculptor/ Painter, George Carlson. George told Terry that if he sculpted, he would draw better. George work closely with Terry, teaching him how to measure the model and build the armatures. Terry began a weekly sculpting class in his Studio,. After 9 years of sculpting the human figure, Terry sculpted his first animal. From that time on he has created and cast numerous wildlife images, including two large monuments. The first being a life size Grizzly bear and the second one is a bigger than life size Moose, standing 10 ½ ft. high, 13 ft. long, with an antler spread of 10 feet.
In 2008, Terry collaborated with Children’s book author, Susan Nipp (Wee Sing Children’s books and videos) to sculpt five bronzes depicting the central characters of Mudgy and Millie, a Moose and a Mouse playing hide and seek in Coeur d’Alene. The bronzes are Public Art in the City of Coeur d’Alene and follow the trail as depicted in the book around the community. (www.MudgyandMillie.com) The book is available nationwide.

Terry became affiliated with Safari Club International in 1996 and has been an active vendor at all the Shows since that time. He was on the cover of the Dallas Safari Club in 2000 and Featured Artist at the Houston Safari Club in 2002. Artist of the Year at the Dallas Safari Club 2009, and Cover Artist Houston Safari Club 2009. ‘Best of Show’, Tulsa OK , Nature Works Show.