Ellee SY Lee

I am a Korean-Canadian, Toronto-based painter. I make imaginary paintings that oscillate between abstraction and representation, exploring forms, mark-making, perspectives, and painting styles. I find inspiration in a wide range of sources: personal memories, nature, philosophical notions of the Eastern and Western, scientific views on the world, and other artworks like that of Post-impressionism, Spiritual abstraction, Post-pop landscapes, and more.

In the process of painting, my reverie and imagination get transformed into a painterly space that can be mystical, reflective, expansive, and healing. I let my intuition and momentary perception compose the interplay of colors, forms, and lines. Then, surprises come along, which is my pleasure. I use digital drawings as preliminary sketches and stretch them from different directions into my works.

The strange aspect of painting which gives a sense of connectivity and sensibility keeps fascinating me and makes me continue to experiment with painting on its visuality. Through painting, I also want to embrace naturalness, simplicity, and spontaneity, hoping that it can offer a vicarious escape and temporary respite from a fatiguing and monotonous world.

Note: 10% of profit made from purchase will be donated for animal rescue.