About the Artist Lee A. Ransaw is a Visual Artist who is the founder and President of the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBCU).  Lee is an Adjunct Professor of  Art Education at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.  He previously served as Professor and Chair of the Art Department at Morris Brown College in Atlanta for more than 20 years, and Dean of Arts and Letters for three years.  Lee earned a doctorate degree in art administration from Illinois State University.  He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in art from Indiana University. His studies include Pratt Institute in New York and John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis.   Among his many honors and awards are the Distinguished UNCF Scholars Award, The Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Ford Foundation Fellowship and a Bronze Jubilee Award for Artistic Achievement in Atlanta, Georgia. Lee has been a steadfast painter participating in many regional and national exhibits. "Eden", mixed media Artist Statement "My works on canvas are generally figurative with oils and acrylics being the preferred media. I like the richness and luminous effect that one gets by building layers of oils. However, when I am working on a series of ideas, acrylic paint allows me to quickly translate these thoughts into two dimensional form on canvas and, at the same time, make rapid adjustments when needed. Most of my ideas for subject matter for my larger works have come from my travels, my study of art history, and my interest and ties to a southern heritage."