Weiss Lee

American painter known for her watercolours, mostly self-taught, she painted her impressions of a space shuttle launch in 1984, under the auspices of the NASA art program. To achieve the specific textural qualities that she felt watercolour lacked, Weiss invented a watercolour technique in which she painted both sides of the paper, turning the paper back and forth while the paint was still wet. That way, the paint from one side transfers to the table and then to the other side of the paper, along with some of the tables texture. This process is continued until an adequate surface has been built up to suggest a subject and composition. In general, she worked away from the subject matter, in the studio without sketches or slides, allowing the process of painting to guide the portrayal. She also worked in a more traditional manner, foregoing the surface treatment of the paper, and starting directly with a brush and subject. Her work was on display in the White House, in 1969 and 1972, when her paintings were selected for this honour by the Smithsonian Institution. Lee Weiss died peacefully at home on 26 November 2018 at age 90 with her family by her side. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less