About This Exhibit

Lee F. Cox Braithwaite (September 26, 1936 - September 18, 2020) completed coursework and research at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, Brigham Young University, the University of Hawaii, and the University of the Pacific with specializations in paleontology, invertebrate zoology, and marine biology. He was loved and esteemed by many as gentle, thoughtful, and wise. “Dr. B” (as his students affectionately called him) spent more than 50 years teaching, training, and mentoring students as the original marine biology professor at Brigham Young University. Known for his elaborate multi-colored chalkboard drawings, especially in his invertebrate courses, Lee used his artistic talents to teach his students in great detail. They admired his artistry, but only Lee’s family and close colleagues knew the extent of his artistic accomplishment. Over a period of many years, Lee spent most evenings at home, working under a magnifying lamp to create hundreds of stippled art pieces (ink on illustration board). We honor him with this sampling of his intricate stippled artwork featuring his beloved sea life.

This selection of illustrations is only a portion of the scientifically accurate stippled sea life the artist penned. The comprehensive collection was intended to be used by the artist in a textbook he was simultaneously writing. Braithwaite’s many other pursuits and eventual dementia prevented him from finishing and publishing his textbook. So, while not the original intent, Braithwaite’s family will compile his works into a coffee table art book to commemorate and preserve his unique artwork in its entirety.