Ever since I took drawing III with Corinne Lee, I have secretly been envious of her ability to carelessly create a solid body of work. When she draws, you can really see how she has a natural understanding of light and how it should be used. When she paints, her utilization of piquant colors transform the canvas from a soporific white mass to this whimsical fantasy of soft blues, vibrent reds, luscious greens, gentle yellows and alluring purples. And although, I've never seen her sculpt, I'm sure her hands move across clay and plaster as if it were their sole function to present a 3D representation of her thoughts and ideas. It really isn't fair and as you can see my jealousy is justified.
Out of her extensive body of work, this piece in particular struck out. Using various materials to construct this image, Lee creates a sort of pastiche of forms. Written across the bottom are the words "look hard." In placing those words there, it emphasizes her use of mixed media. Even more so, they invite speculation. Notice how the words are not cleanly placed. The "L" on the word "look" appears as if it was torn out of a notebook and it's counter part "A" from the word hard mimics this as well. Now if the viewers were to move their eyes upward, they would notice the penned drawn tentacles of the right scull. The markings scream out against the nicely blended colors (which make a statement of their own). Also, the eye sockets of this skull have become light bulbs, giving the impression that perhaps this is no ordinary skull. It is a seeming whisper of the remains of life, which introduces the concept of an ambiguity between life and death; a limbo that dances this reality onto it's mirrored sister on the left hand side of the canvas. Although not constructed in a pastiche manner, this skull is adorned with cyan blues around its eye sockets, creating a shadow. This makes the cavity have a certain depthness to it, while a similar shade of blue, although slightly darker, is placed between the two figures, allowing for their yellow white tones to really stand out and interact with the audience. And the reds, that are more like the color of summer wine than a deep bloodied tone, create these morbid figures into something more lively.
It's fascinating really. She has an innate understanding of where to place the cool and warm shades. It comes so effortlessly; the wordless conversation the colors display. Her deft presentation brings with it a curiosity: What/who influences her artistic process?
When I inquired about how Lee developed inspiration for her works, she had this to say:
"I can't pinpoint just one or two artists that have driven me and my work. Although of course I have my favorites. My inspirations comes from the little slices and glimpses; bits and pieces. It can be one patch of color in a painting or one pool of shadow in a drawing. It can be the intensity of a photograph or the graininess of a newspaper photo. When I see something I really like, something that sops me in my tracks then that usually leads to a doodle, a sketch or painting of my own. With that said I could happily fall into the colors of a Monet painting and live there forever and ever."
Her response embodies an eloquent reflection depicting those who have given her inspiration. And needless to say, Lee is devoted to what she does. She has passion, talent and most of all a remarkable amount of incite into the natural workings of color and composition.
To see more of her works click the following links:
corinne-lee.com
corrinely.tumblr.com
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