It is a small show, just three pieces, but they fill the room.
Last Friday, during the much less chaotic Third Friday art walk, Lauren Lee debuted a solo show entitled "Lauren Lee: Oil and Ink," at GreenHAUS Boutique. Those familiar with GreenHAUS know the tiny shop is normally filled to the brim with prints, statement pieces, vintage treasures and tiny trinkets. But during the show, there is significantly less, lending a platform for Lee's canvases.
"The Finality of Words" by Lauren Lee. Photo credit: Mackenzie McCrearyLee is a local artist known for her iconic mural of three birds gracing the side of GreenHAUS, which is a testament to her normal works focusing on animals and ethereal landscapes.
But Lee's new paintings are different.
Each piece portrays a woman in dark clothing with rich, wild hair against a floral background filled with color. The dark clothing provide the women with a bit of camouflage, as if they are hiding in the garden.
This tone provides the perfect contrast for the bright butterflies that cover various parts of the women's faces, simultaneously bringing attention to the women and giving them another layer of coverage.
The backgrounds filled with flowers and vines give a soft and subtle mood to the pieces. They are disrupted by the darkly-shroud women who stare out with a sense of confrontation. There is even more disruption with the butterflies, which offer a striking finality against the women who accept their presence but seem to be holding back a desire to break free from their hiding places.
The pieces are reminiscent the long-held meme: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." However, there is yet another layer that gives the butterflies a purpose.
One painting shows a medium-sized butterfly covering the mouth of a woman, clad in black, against a background of bright sunflowers and roses. The name: "The Finality of Words." In this sense the butterfly becomes the conscience of speech, reminding us that we should choose our words carefully because they could hurt others and we could regret them later.
The butterfly also remains as the reminder of finality — that we cannot take our words back once we have said them.
This metaphor is repeated in each painting — hearing things we cannot un-hear and seeing things we cannot un-see.
Lee's paintings (and subsequent prints, for sale at $35 each at GreenHAUS) give a tone of restrained sadness and frustration. I got the sense that the women were flies on the wall during certain events, and wished to interfere or run away. But they are trapped in that single moment, seeing, hearing or saying something they don't want to witness.
Mesmerizing and evocative, Lees new paintings present viewers with clear revelations of the consequences of our actions. Simultaneously, they represent new ground for the artist.
During the Third Friday reception, Lee said that she knew these paintings were important because it wasn't a struggle for her to work on them — she said she was struck with a sudden and intense wave of inspiration and she believes she will continue to experiment with this imagery.
I, for one, look forward to these experiments.
"Lauren Lee: Oil and Ink" is on display at GreenHAUS through Nov. 13. The gallery is open 12-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. On your next trinket-hunt, make sure to spend some time with Lee's new creations.
What do you think of Lauren Lee's work? Share your reactions with me at mamccrea@asu.edu or via Twitter @mmccreary6.
