Lot 173B
Lee Rommel (American, XX-XXI). "Spirit Water" watercolor on paper, ca. 1985. Signed at lower left. Rendered with luminous clarity and reverent stillness, Lee Rommel's "Spirit Water" is a watercolor meditation on cultural tradition and natural harmony. Centered on a glossy blackware olla, likely inspired by Pueblo ceramic traditions, the painting captures the subtle shifts of shadow and reflection across its fluted, incised surface. The rhythmic bands encircling the vessel represent stylized feathers - a motif echoed beside it in the delicate rendering of a single real feather, bound with turquoise and coral-colored beads. The result is quietly self-referential, a pairing of form and symbol that speaks to continuity between object and offering, memory and material. Rommel, who has lived and taught in Santa Fe since 1973, brings decades of observation and experience to this quietly powerful composition. Size of painting: 20" W x 15.5" H (50.8 cm x 39.4 cm); of frame: 29" W x 24.5" H (73.7 cm x 62.2 cm)
Though she works across media, her watercolor technique is especially disciplined - a medium she explores during plein air travels and studio reflection alike. Her career spans continents, yet her grounding in the Southwest is unmistakable. "Spirit Water" reflects that rootedness, fusing technical precision with emotional resonance.
Rommel is a self-taught artist who studied informally with notable painters and sculptors including Charles Reid, Glenna Goodacre, and George Carlson. Her work has been featured in national exhibitions, publications, and collections across the U.S. and Europe. Like much of her art, "Spirit Water" offers more than visual beauty - it becomes an invitation to contemplation, memory, and the quiet power of form.
Provenance: Cultural Patina Gallery, Burke, Virginia, USA
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#188589
- Condition: Signed at lower left. Mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Has not been examined outside of glass, but painting and frame appear to be in excellent overall condition.
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