Jake Lee Original Watercolor Boatyard at a Railroad Crossing

Signed, and superb. Incredibly detailed, yet completely unfussy. A master is at work here.

One of California’s most renowned watercolorists and a chronicler of California, and particularly San Francisco, Jake Lee left a body of work that delights and informs.

Jake Lee was born in Monterey, California on October 23, 1915 of Chinese parents. As a child Lee began painting scenes of the Chinese communities and the fisherman of Monterey.  After graduating from San Jose State College in California, he studied at the Otis Art Institute and with Dong Kingman.  His watercolors are a blending of occidental and Oriental techniques.

By the early 1940s he had settled in Los Angeles, where he gave demonstrations at art clubs and taught at Brandes Art Institute.  He died in Los Angeles on September 13, 1991.

Exhibitions:
Pasadena Art Institute, 1946
Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, 1954
California Watercolor Society, 1944-55
Aaron Bros Gallery in Los Angeles, 1958