About the 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.
The artist is an 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. I really like the words of the great Robert Henri, ‘Art when understood is the province of every human being.’ ”
He has painted U.S. senators, governors, mayors, judges, university presidents, pets and a wide range of subjects in private collections.
The artist maintains a studio in Memphis, Tennessee.