November 19, 2016 – January 29, 2017
Closing Reception | Sunday, January 29, 2017
The large-scale paintings of Lee Becker are animals that she has personally encountered. They are either endangered or rare, and some are the result of human engineering. Becker finds beauty in each one, even those that seem repulsive to human beings. She considers the sentient presence of the creatures and strives to achieve the same feeling she experiences when in close proximity to them – “…their eyes, even their breathing.”
After raising her family of three sons in McPherson, Kansas, Becker moved to Lindsborg and began studying art as a non-traditional student in the early 1970s. She earned a BA in studio arts and art education in 1976 at Bethany College and taught at various places for 25 years while remaining productive as an exhibiting studio artist. Becker has more than 35 solo exhibits and 70 group, invitational and juried exhibitions to her credit, including the Kansas Masters Invitational and a career retrospective at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Art Gallery.
In 1999, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Fort Hays State University, studying under the late Frank Nichols. She also pursued special studies in watercolor with the late University of Southern California professor Keith Crown and in sculpture at Bethany College.
Lee Becker is respected in her community for her creativity, generosity, and support of fellow artists. She is a steadfast supporter of the arts in any medium and was named 2015 Artist of the Year by the Lindsborg Art Council.