The Museum is thrilled to announce the recent donation of a stunning watercolor and Sumi Ink painting titled Purple Mountain Majesty II by renowned local artist Kang Lee Sheppard. CSPM Curator of History Leah Davis Witherow recently conducted an oral history with Sheppard, after which she generously donated this beautiful work of art. The painting is currently on exhibit in the main lobby, so please stop by and see it in person.
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kang Lee Sheppard has been creating art since she was a child. Mentored by master artists at university in Seoul, she earned her BFA in Asian Art before coming to the United States to pursue a graduate degree. After earning her M.A., she taught courses at Pikes Peak Community College and UCCS, before founding the Sheppard Art Institute in 1998 where she still teaches.
Sheppard is a signature member of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society and Pikes Peak Pastel Society, a member of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, and is past-president of the Colorado Springs Art Guild, Arati Artists Gallery and the Pikes Peak Pastel Society. She is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for her work. Kang Lee looks at the interplay of natural elements from a philosophical perspective stating,
"Art allows me to communicate freshness and spontaneity, as well as expressing feelings which transcend techniques in my painting.”