Self-taught Artist Kathy Lee
My name is Kathy Lee and I am a self-taught artist living in Sydney Australia.
Who would have thought 2020 would bring Covid into our lives, and lead to me discovering at the age of 69 that I could paint, and yet that’s exactly what happened!
April 2020 saw me (along with pretty much the rest of the world) looking for ways to pass time. I have always loved colour, and been interested in arts and crafts but, having ruined several promising sketches in high school by adding paint, and being told by teachers I would never be any good at art, I resigned myself to exploring other avenues.
Born in the UK, the next several years saw me exploring many crafts– you name it, I tried it as long as colour was involved and I could create something I liked.
In 1986, I emigrated to Australia, and discovered ceramics.
I thought I had found my true passion until injury forced me to stop and fall into the arms of resin art instead. I loved the free-flowing vibrancy of the colours but, alas, the ‘hobby’ was expensive, and I discovered the residual fumes on the artwork aggravated my grandson’s asthma. Back to the drawing board – literally!
Enter Covid and a local art store, where I first discovered alcohol inks and then watercolour and fell in love with the creative potential.
I experimented with alcohol inks and Heartbeat is an example of the work I did initially. I love the freedom of exploring how the colours mix and flow, the different interpretations put on the artworks, and the sense of satisfaction when each piece revealed itself.
Continuing my artistic journey, I delved into loose flowing watercolours, primarily botanicals, and Remembrance is a later example of this, having more detail than some of my earlier pieces. The vibrancy of this piece makes my heart sing.
King Protea shows a move towards more detailed work, whilst the background retained the sense of random, free flowing outcomes.
I was fortunate enough to have a number of commissions, both floral and also pets, as with Foxy Feline which, as you can see, is much more detailed.
My work has continued to evolve since I started in April 2020. I now also work with charcoal, and am currently exploring combining charcoal with watercolour to see what effects can be achieved. Kambuku is an example of this.
Split Personality embodies the feelings surrounding the Covid situation where we seem at times to have lost touch with reality – we are the person we used to be, and also the new version coping with life as it is now. There is a sense of unreality and disconnectedness almost.
I have an eclectic taste in subjects, and have recently fallen in love with African wildlife. Tribal Instinct, Nazayia, Zanzibar, Hetty, and Tiger, Tiger all convey my impression of the particular animal(s)and, I hope, convey a sense of their perceived personalities.
The main thing for me Is to feel a connection to a piece, to want to explore the possibilities, and to engage the emotions of anyone viewing my art.
Some of my work was bought for a local school, with a view to encouraging children to explore art in all its forms – I think that will be my crowning achievement.
You can see more of my work at www.artbykathylee.com or on Instagram @klkatlee
