Lee Wexler

Statement about the artist:

A fine artist, educator, designer and muralist Lee Jesse Wexler was born on April 7, 1925 in Los Angeles, CA. He received his MFA in Design at University of Southern California, became a professor at California State University, Los Angeles for 28 years and was a Professor Emeritus at CSULA at the time of his death in 2010.

The works for sale in this exhibit are culled from his family’s collection and are among the best of Wexler’s watercolor, egg tempera and pastel paintings. Fara, his wife of 59 years, said Lee believed that his work needed to be out in the world after he left this life. Brackenwood proudly presents this exhibit as a memorial to a remarkably creative man and his work.

In the 1960s and 70’s, while continuing to paint and exhibit, Lee opened a design firm in California and added murals to his list of accomplishments. His murals can be seen in the Sunkist and the International Paper Co. headquarters, both in Los Angeles. Mr. Wexler was a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and over the years served as the Vice-president and President of the society.

Lee and his wife visited the Pacific Northwest and Lee fell in love with the light and beauty of the area. The couple decided to move to Whidbey Island in 1992 and Lee became well integrated into the Northwest’s art community. Mr. Wexler served on the board of the Northwest Watercolor Society and guided the development of the Northwest Watercolor Foundation, becoming President from 1998-2006.

Over time Lee’s work became increasingly personal. As Lee explained “My work deals with the human condition. I try to capture that which is deeply personal.”  A perfect example of this is the “Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp” series.  Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum has this twenty-one painting series in their permanent collection. Included in Brackenwood’s retrospective are examples from a variety of series such as: the “Bus Stop”, the “Island”, the “Survivors” and “Water and Light”.

The varied body of work in watercolors, egg tempera and pastel paintings exhibited at Brackenwood reveals a strongly ethical, serious but witty artist, of great integrity and compassion.