Mari Lee .Pencil and Charcoal Portrait Sketch

Pencil Portrait of Mari Lee – A Heartfelt Tribute

This pencil sketch of the  Mari Lee holds a special place in my journey as an artist—it was my very first commissioned portrait and one of the most emotionally profound pieces I have ever created.

I had personally never had the fortune to meet Mari Lee, but I took the time to learn a lot about her through the countless stories her loving mother shared before I began the portrait. Through those stories, I felt her warmth, her spirit, and the love that surrounded her.

Every delicate pencil stroke was infused with both love and longing, a tribute to the person she was and the young woman she could have become. As I worked on this piece, I experienced a wave of mixed emotions—deep admiration for the beautiful soul I was capturing and the bittersweet realization that she would never see it herself.

Though Mari Lee is no longer here, her essence lives on in this portrait, a timeless reminder of her presence and the love she left behind.