D. Lee grew up in southeast Idaho on the back of a horse.

Although she had drawn extensively as a young person, horses

were her life, and she became a professional trainer, competitor

and riding instructor. Only upon taking a workshop from a

local artist in her late twenties did she fall in love with painting.

“The smell, the texture, the magic of oil paints ignited

something new for me. It was as powerful as the draw of horses

had been all these years.“ Suddenly she was dividing her time

between training horses and learning to paint.

”I am passionate about both of these disciplines. I want to be

the best I can be and am continually learning from the artists

and horsemen I admire.”

She has studied with some of the best artists including Morgan

Weistling, Greg Beecham, Quang Ho and the inimitable

sporting artist, Andre Pater, who has become a mentor and

friend.

Now living in the middle of the bluegrass, in the “Horse

Capital of the World”, Lexington, Kentucky, she gets back to

the mountains and the west multiple times every year to be

surrounded by the wildlife she loves to paint.

“In my work I am drawn to light and expression. I love to

paint eyes, to watch a piece come alive that way is a bit of a

rush. That is why I almost always paint close ups of animals, I

want to look at their face and into their soul, try and see what

they are thinking and feeling.”