This collection of artworks are the ones selected by Connie Lee for the three person show "Layers of Identity" with Hollie Heller, Pauline Galiana, and Joanne Steinhardt. Presented by Art Lives Here at El Barrio’s ArtSpace, a New York City landmarked building. June 16th - July 13th, 2024

This series has been created with many layers of vintage, found, dyed and printed papers, book pages and lightweight fabrics. The materials are important because they constitute the construction of the pieces. The concept is in another direction of working on the surface of a canvas or paper. In this case the surface is the result of the layered pieces. The pieces can be perceived as a whole giving one perspective up close revealing imagery and text and a sense of history as well as offering the viewer something entirely different from afar.

This series consists of works on paper that I made in October 2022 while I was in residence at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. It was a beautiful time of year and of course I was inspired by the foliage and the leaf color transformation in particular. These drawings/paintings are layered color pencil and paint and there are many layers . These pieces are nature-landscape inspired and the colors create a contrast of vivid pigment with the frosted effect of the paint that is reminiscent of fog in early mornings with the vivid changing colors of the trees.

These paintings were inspired by shapes that I drew from shadows of tropical plants I have on my property in Costa Rica. The abstract compositions on paper are painted with gouache using soft Southwestern inspired colors. The pieces on canvas are painted with oil paints with a similar palette.

This series is derived from my continued interest in photography and collage. Some of the pieces are created from images in the natural and architectural environments that I have photographed in my travels over time. Many of the photographed images are cropped and expanded to the extent of being unrecognizable in order to accent the combination and contrast of distressed textural surfaces and subdued and intense colors. Other pieces are derived from collages that are created from a variety of collected materials. Some of the original collages are quite small in scale, 3″ x 5″, and some are larger, 8″ x 10″. They are made from clippings of images that I have collected from books, magazines, posters, art and photography. The imagery is carefully cut out and then combined intuitively with a variety of found papers, text, vintage documents, decorative papers and transparent fabrics. The compositions are intended to be studied, questioned and offer a refreshing perspective. The collages are reproduced digitally on to an adhesive transparent material. Through an often long and thoughtful process the reproductions are then rearranged into larger scale compositions. The large compositions are carefully measured, split, and adhered systematically onto a vellum surface. The compositions stay in place but are distorted because of the consistent overlapping of the cut transparent segments which when finished offers a beautiful and subtle overall texture.The process from start to finish has many steps and allows me to slowly build the surface of the finished piece.

This collection of works are comprised of collages that have been broken up, rearranged, and organized into organically induced, colorful compositions. I am inspired by the challenge of repairing and recreating a new and unexpected surface and using the staples, an understandable method, as a connective device. The grid structure creates an overall sense of the construction The works begin as paintings or collages that are color inspired by landscape and horizon lines. I rely on using my acute use of color to add balance to a piece subtly contrasting the different order that has been created by the cut and often randomly rearranged and reconnected parts.

These paintings are oil paint and acrylic paint on canvas. They are created with a spirit of abstraction working with layers and bold color combinations. I am experimenting with larger scale paintings in this series.

This series is inspired by my interest in exploring the materiality of the art. I am also inspired by the actual construction of the surface, similar perhaps to how a quilt is formed. The pieces begin as beautiful prints, collages, photographs or paintings. They have been cut up into squares and then rearranged into new compositions. The pieces are connected using colored tape. I am excited by the surprise of the new combined imagery.

These works started as large collages on clear vinyl. I have always covered my tables with clear vinyl when I work and teach in the studio. I was adhering silk to the plastic and used cuttings from batiked paper often working on both sides of the vinyl. I suddenly got an idea to cut the collages in strips and weave them on a loom. My process style has always been very systematic. Objects lined in rows etc. The concept with these woven pieces was to alternate rows with 2 collages. This enables beautiful depth and superimposed imagery. It is also a mystery how the final piece will come out. The strips are cut uniformly and woven in order. The result is organic in nature, absolutely cannot be planned. The use of dyed silk and other transparent overlays creates a richness when surrounded in an every-other type of order. These color and texture interactions and the overlaying of imagery answers the visual excitement that I am always reaching for in my work.

The first element that is transmitted in these pieces is the translucency. Photographic images that have been cut in abstracted shape are adhered to a frosted acetate substrate. Some of the pieces in this series are woven which creates a flowing feeling of space, depth, overlays, and image.

Tweeds are an installation of related individual forms. The pieces are comprised of an original method I have created with stiffened silk. I produce multitudes of “silk straws” individually colored with dyes. With a beautiful spectrum of colored pieces, I string them into “tweed” like color combinations. I envision each individual colored straw as a brush stroke of paint and because of the array of colors, I can produce a color scheme that makes each piece unique. The works have an overall feeling of texture in the round and when installed as a group, relationships are created between the pieces. The installations are inspired by landscapes, particularly sky and expansive vistas. The installations are unique and the saturated colors enhance people to come closer to investigate.