Based in Oxford, Mississippi, Carlyle Wolfe Lee creates drawings and paintings rooted in direct observation. Through a cumulative process of drawing, painting, and layered silhouettes, she records the passage of time, gradually revealing seasonal change through sustained and attentive engagement with the natural world.
Her current exhibition, “Memorable Days,” is inspired by an annual year-end practice of reflecting on the moments that defined the previous year. "This practice makes me thankful, helps me experience life more deeply, and helps me hope more intentionally," says Carlyle. "The works in this exhibition are connected to some of my most memorable days. I look forward to annual outings on horseback with good friends to search for cherry blossoms, buckeye, phlox, and ferns at Birdlands, one of my favorite places, knowing those days are likely to make the list."
Two years ago, Carlyle and her photographer husband, Thad Lee, welcomed their first child. Becoming a mother has deepened her appreciation for the fleeting moments that inspire her work. "These vivid experiences have long shaped my work, but consciously connecting my studio practice with my impulse to record memorable days has helped me navigate the back and forth between work and motherhood with greater grace. Crossing the driveway between the house and the studio, my focus feels more unified."
"Lightning Bugs I, II & III," oil on panel, 48 by 36 inches each
"Butterfly Chase Me," oil on panel, 48 by 72 inches
"Birdlands Spring I & II," gouache on paper, 40 by 26 inches each, 45.5 by 31.25 inches framed each
"Birdlands Buckeye Ride," gouache on paper, 33.5 by 51 inches, 39 by 57.5 inches framed
"Birdlands Cherry Blossom Ride," oil on panel, 48 by 60 inches
"03-18-2026 Splinter Creek Dogwood," graphite on paper, 30 by 22 inches, 35 by 27.75 inches framed
"Birdlands Buckeye Woods," gouache on paper, 42 by 30 inches, 47.5 by 35.25 inches framed
"03-10-2026 Daffodils," graphite on paper, 22 by 30 inches, 27.25 by 35.25 inches framed
"Daffodils," oil on panel, 20 by 48 inches
Carlyle Wolfe Lee’s paintings and works on paper are about an awareness of the natural world - becoming progressively, cyclically more present to its rhythms, gaining deeper understanding of its design and acquiring direct experiential knowledge of its mysterious beauty.
Since 2001, Carlyle has been making contour line drawings of plants from observation. From her drawings, she isolates silhouettes into paper stencils which she uses to create oil paintings and works on paper – or cut out of metal to make sculptures. Her work is cumulative in nature – gradually marking time and seasonal change, unity and variety, individual and collective beauty.
Based in Oxford, Mississippi, Carlyle grew up in Canton, Mississippi, and earned a BFA in painting from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in painting and drawing from Louisiana State University. She has also studied in Cortona, Italy, and at the University of Georgia. Carlyle has exhibited work throughout the South, including the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center, the University of Charleston, the Shaw Center for the Arts, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, the University of Mississippi Museum, and Arkansas Arts Center. Her work was selected for the Art in Embassies Program at the US Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique. Carlyle is the recipient of four Mississippi Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellowships (2005, 2010, 2015, and 2026) and two Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Visual Arts Awards (2008 and 2017). She served as Adjunct Professor of Art at the University of Mississippi from 2005 to 2014.
AVAILABLE WORKS