Lance Headlee was born in Denver on February 11,1960.

He was raised in Colorado Springs and has had an

interest in the arts since watching his father draw

cowboys as a small child. After graduating from high

school Lance looked back at his past report cards and

realized, art was the only subject he received straight A’s

in since grade school. So in 1980, he began studying art

full time. Headlee enrolled at Colorado Institute of Art

where he studied Advertising Design and Layout. Then

Lance moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he began

studying Fashion Design and Merchandising.

In 1984, Headlee moved to Manhattan Beach, California.

Soon after, he introduced his concept of hand painted

swimwear and cover-ups to Cole Of California and

Catalina Swimwear. In 1985 his collection of hand painted

swimwear and cover-ups sold in hundreds of stores

nationwide. Next Lance developed “Kidart”, a novelty item

that allowed children to color their own T-shirts and wear

them instantly. Marketed under the name “Art to Wear”,

Kidart was distributed nationally in 1987.

Beginning in 1988, he entered the imprinted sportswear

market. Eyecatcher sportswear / Icantoo Sport printed

and marketed his resortwear designs on everything from

coffee cups to beach towels and from T-shirts to swimwear. To the present day, Icantoo Sport has sold

over 2 million units bearing the Headlee signature. In 1999 Lance founded, designed and trademarked

“Skilz” a line of advanced sportswear and athletic apparel for all sports. Soon after he fused art with

fashion once again creating and producing “Bailey Rae” a one of a kind line of hand painted and color

washed clothing for women and children.

For the 2001 and 2002 season Headlee was contracted to design, merchandise and market basketball

apparel for BCI (Basketball Congress International). Although Lance has been involved in the fashion

industry for over 15 years he has never stopped painting. He has always had a passion for painting. His

resortwear designs and paintings are like night and day. Lance has managed to create resortwear designs

that have mass market appeal and fine art paintings that are truly one of a kind works of art.

Headlee has been applying paint to canvas for over 25 years. He taught himself how to paint by studying

art styles and techniques for a hobby. “For me it was a learning experience my own way of schooling

myself, by giving myself assignments. I remember one of my assignments was studying realism. I took

photographs of the 1st street lifeguard station in Manhattan Beach, then I brought them home and spent a

few weeks painting what I saw. The object was to make the paintings look exactly like the photographs, I

loved it! I was hooked. Styles like realism, impressionism, abstracts, landscapes, portraits, modern and

imaginative were important for me to learn and understand. I don’t want to be an artist that only has one

style, that would be like a prison sentence.

The beauty of painting for me is there are no limitations. You can always think inside the box, but thinking

outside the box is where the adventure begins. I can let my imagination run free just like the colors that

flow off the end of my brush, they are an expression of freedom and have no boundaries.” Some of my

clients enjoy the cowboys and Indians I paint and other collectors like my abstracts. It doesn't matter to

me, I just love to paint anything and everything”.