Connie Schlee grew up in the Washington metropolitan area and has lived in Frederick City since the late 1980s. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western Maryland College in the mid-nineteen sixties. Although she did not follow a path in the arts following her graduation, her creativity surfaced in other elements of her life. For the past seven years she has followed her passion for art by exploring many different aspects of the arts.

Watercolor has always been her medium of choice. However, for the last several years, she has explored other avenues to expand her creative energy. In addition to drawing in charcoal, pen and ink, graphics and pastel, she has worked in acrylics and mixed media in collage. All have been challenging and have fit comfortably with her impressionistic style of looseness that is striking in her exploration of light source and contrast. Her work is constantly strong She has exhibited in several local galleries and also in galleries outside the Frederick area. She is a member of the Delaplaine Educational Visual Arts Center by which she has been recognized in juried shows, and the Frederick County Arts Association in which she has exhibited in member shows and has received awards in years 2000 with 2^nd place, 2002 with Honorable Mention, and 1^st place in the 2005 show. Her work has been juried into the Berryville Arts show in Virginia and she has sold pieces in this show. She recently received two awards for watercolor and drawing in the Frederick Community College student shows in 2004 and 2005. Her work is part of many personal collections throughout the United States. She has participated in several one-person shows both locally and on the Eastern Shore. She has also been commissioned for personal collections and public venues.

“I never realized how fulfilling my art would be to me. It has taught me that when you follow your passions, there are no failures.”   -- Connie Schlee