Mary Lee retired in 2003 from 23 years teaching, (the last 18 in special ed) and resolved to start anew as an artist. She had dabbled in art all her life, usually working in pastel. In recent years she took up watercolor seriously and then discovered colored pencil. She is a realist by nature and finds that her artistic growth in either medium influences the other. While she is largely self-taught, she has studied with many current artists such as Nita Leland, Lian Zhen, Judy Wagner, Janet Rogers, Bill Shoemaker, and many fellow artists in Louisville and Flagler County. Mary is a member of the Kentucky Watercolor Society, the Flagler County Art League (FL), and the Colored Pencil Society of America. She has won awards in shows as a member of the Kentucky Watercolor Society and the Flagler County Art League. She has been juried into AqueousUSA 07 and 08, and this year Aquaventure 08. But mostly she just enjoys the process of painting, either in her studio or en plein air!