SARAH LEE (B, 1980)
SARAH LEE IS A SELF TAUGHT IRISH ARTIST LIVING IN LONDON.
In 2019, a series of events led to an outpouring of creativity.
Covid had just hit.. her home on the Thames flooded, and she found herself living alone
in a motel room. And then the real flood started. A creative outpouring of paintings that has not abated. All her life, Sarah Lee liked to draw and create stories in her head. She had early exposure to horror/cult films (she was the youngest of 4 girls), and at Catholic School, intense exposure to oversized reliefs of the cruxification , and religious iconography. The message she received in school was that she was not good at art. Into adulthood Sarah Lee continued to draw, creating birthday cards and greetings for friends. She became a nurse , had a child, (now in college), and lived her life in London. All this changed in 2019 when she decided to start posting her work on social media, and transitioned from drawing to painting. That led to followers, and attention from the art world - a community that gave her the message that her work was valued.
I am fascinated by the ways in which people turn to art later in life. Often the common thread is space to create. Some transition, that frees up what had always been there. Through the tough times, a window opened that pushed her need to express herself to the forefront.
I love Sarah Lee's work. What is clear is she is in control of the narrative. Holds her power and expresses herself in a truly authentic way.