Lee Mothes was born in 1947 and was raised in Southern California. He grew up in a small town and lived only a short walk from the beach. Like most of the local kids, he spent much of his spare time playing beside or in the ocean. Lee loved to watch the waves, especially the huge storm-driven surf that always changed the beaches and sometimes washed down the street he lived on. He also loved to draw. With the encouragement of both parents, he learned to draw well. He practiced drawing the imaginary places of his fascination.

Beginning in 1966, Lee studied art; first at Long Beach State University, then at California College of Arts and Crafts, and finally at Western Oregon State University. He spent much of 1969 and 1970 in Vietnam teaching art to American soldiers. A few years later, he built a house-and-studio on the Oregon coast and, while working at a job as a graphic designer, began a series of large drawings of the ocean.

Newly married in 1985, Lee and his wife moved two years later to Wisconsin to raise their daughters near extended family. To keep a connection with the ocean, Lee began what is now called the "Oceans and Dreams" series - drawings and watercolors of imaginary places involving the ocean. Some are views from living rooms and porches, others of fields and beaches. The ideas come mostly from his dreams and memories, and from a desire to "see" certain places.

Lee is currently showing original paintings in galleries in Wisconsin and California. Reproductions of paintings are available through many galleries in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan.

The Reading Porch Print
Artist Lee Mothes of Oceans and Dreams offers The Reading Porch. "This print is all about reading. There are comic books behind the chair, letters waiting, the note on the glass, and books with somewhat odd titles. I love to read and have tinkered with writing as well. Memories of windblown surf and afternoon light also play a part in this painting."

Running Free Print
Running Free by artist Lee Mothes of Oceans and Dreams emphasizes the sense of adventure and shares with us this image he captured of his oldest daughter running off toward the ocean.

Field of Mind Print
In the early 20th Century, plain air painters painted the California Coast in its natural state. Artist Lee Mothes of Oceans and Dreams shares this attempt to capture what they might have seen.

All Oceans and Dreams Selections

Birthday Gift Ideas