Jamie Lee McMahan
Artist
About the Portrait Artist
Jamie Lee McMahan decided to become a full-time portrait painter after a two-year trip around the world.
The great museums of the world were the inspiration that opened the window for the artist. Although he admired various art styles and periods, he was most often drawn to the great portraits, to the masterpieces of Sargent, Chase, Raeburn, Velasquez and others. His career began over forty years ago at The University of Memphis in what has been a love affair with light and shadow.
Encouragement from giants in the field like Everett Raymond Kinstler and Bettina Steinke was all it took to start McMahan on a career that has been a passion. His clients include a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, U.S. senators, governors, mayors, judges, university presidents, and a wide range of subjects in international private collections.
Among the many portraits by McMahan is Alex Haley, author of Roots. “Being a portrait artist enables me to get to know people on a personal level like no other profession I know of. Alex Haley is a good example. We sat down to discuss the project and pretty soon we were talking about family and writing and things that made his personality really come out…the power of art.”
The artist is avid student of art history. “The more I read about the masters, the more I realize that the procedure hasn’t changed that much. It’s still about putting paint on canvas and seeing. But every year, the old masters seem to get smarter,” he suggests.
His resume includes many awards in competitions over his career. Notably, his self portrait won the People’s Choice Award at the 2007 International Portrait Society competition over artists from around the world.
He maintains a studio in Memphis, Tennessee.