Lee spends hours on the same
square inch of canvas another artist might cover with one stroke of a
brush. His methods guarantee there will never be an abundance of Lee
Teter originals in any medium. Since so few paintings will represent
his life's work Lee is attentive to quality and content in every
respect. He understands art as "the perfect language" which, if
properly executed, need not be confusing or mysterious and transcends
the confinement of words as well as time.
Lee restricted himself to drawing for many years, imitating training priorities established by 19th century masters. His drawings were released as small editions of black & white prints that were hand painted with watercolors. He produced hundreds of hand painted prints while developing his skills. His eastern Native American and frontier subjects were part of a relatively new genre, emerging in the 1980's.
Lee has studied America's frontier years extensively and has painted every era from the 18th century to the present. In 1988 he created a portrait of the Vietnam Memorial entitled Reflections. With almost two hundred thousand prints throughout the world, Lee Teter's Reflections has become perhaps the most collected art print in the 20th century. Lee accepts no income from the prints. Sales amounting to millions of dollars continue to benefit veterans and their families.
In 1990 Lee's knowledge and artistic ability were applied to 20th Century Fox's film, Last of the Mohicans. His talents allowed him to design major portions of the film. His association with the film provided research opportunities and his work as visual arts consultant revolutionized the look of eastern Native Americans in modern film. Documentary films now incorporate his work in their productions and historians use Lee's art for their books.
In 1995 Lee moved his family to Wyoming where he produced prints using various methods ranging from stone lithography to platinum printing. Since 1999 he continues to focus on painting with oils and producing his exquisite and unique hand painted prints.
After a year long break in 2004 Lee returned to painting with renewed energy. His work has become more refined and for the first time in his life he plans on traveling so he can be a more visible part of the art world. He feels his art has finally come of age. This year, 2005, will be used in preparing for national shows in 2006 and 2007.