Lee Hilsman was born in Florida in the early 70's. She grew up on a cattle ranch and then moved into town on the Intracoastal river. Whether it was in the woods at the ranch or on the banks of the river, Lee loved exploring the outdoors. Her time outside instilled a great love and appreciation for the beauty of nature, and you can find this influence in her work. Over the years, Lee traveled across the United States and around the world exploring nature’s beauty and capturing it in photographs and paintings.

 

Lee fell in love with art during grade school in Mrs. Curzon’s art class. It was with Mrs. Curzon, and over the following years with several other instructors, that Lee learned the fundamentals and techniques of art. Her paintings have evolved to include many mediums and processes. Lee felt a strong obligation to work in business, so she put her love of art on hold. During this time she got a bachelor's degree at the University of Florida and an MBA at Georgia State University. She worked in sales and management for a corporate company, and then as a marketing director for a food processing company. Those years in marketing rekindled her creative spark; although, throughout Lee’s life, her passion for art has always stayed strong.

 

While living and growing up in Florida, she visited Beanie Backus’s studio and watched him work and explore his work environment. This experience watching Backus work had a tremendous influence on her artistic perspective. Her memory of Beanie Backus’s use of blending colors strongly inspired the color choices she makes today. While studying oil painting at Studio Arts College International in Florence, Italy, Lee fell in love with the various painting techniques and use of color blending to create depth and light. It was during these studies abroad that she saw Rene Magritte’s Empire of Light and truly understood the power of color, texture, and size.