Lee's Artlog

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2005- My instructor in Basic Graphic Design wanted us to do a piece that was made up of assorted parts (hence the name Garbage Art,) that were assembled in an organized fashion and then spray painted white on foam core board.  This was to assist in teaching us many of the basic principles of graphic design. I nicknamed the piece later “The Screwing of America,” since I had screws pointing towards divots and also pennies organized rythmically in a corner of the piece.  After completing the piece I gave it to my parents since they liked it so much.

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2005- The Firey Iris was the 2nd of multiple attempts at reinterpreting the original marker and acrylic piece that I had done during that year. (See The Iris [Redux]). I was dissatisfied with the original background context, so I threw the illustration into Photoshop and applied many creative filters and strokes. The Firey Iris in particular had its curves (color alignment) altered so that it had an almost surging, nakedly expressive, and passionate feel to the flower. I found this version to be my favorite over the original piece and The Iris (Redux) that I completed at relatively the same time as this one.

The indigo-cerulean cubicle rose only so high on the desk, granting one such minimal privacy, that it’s a wonder that my soul wasn’t borne for all to see as plainly as I had felt.  It took me a while, but I finally quit my job in order to persue school fulltime in 2005.  While many sacrifices would have to be made over those next few months, I regrouped and settled most of my debts and burdens, leaving the cubicle customer service world squarely behind me.

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1995- The Orguss 02 Miniposter was inspired by the anime from the same title that I had viewed earlier that year. The pen and ink and markerwork all used the same style that I employed in a similar Hakkenden Miniposter that I had completed weeks before this one in an 11×14 format. (It was this size so that it would fit on convetional scan beds and color copy machines at the time. ) The framing is audacious in this piece much like the ones before it in this collage style with the tower rising up in black separating the flames on either side. I learned much about composition and spacing from this piece.

1995 would be a coagulatable year. Many issues had come to a head, most notably the beginning of a relationship with a girlfriend that I held dear to me. I met her working for Best Buy a store in San Antonio and it progressed from there. I was initially hesitant to have a relationship with her because it would be long distance and she was 3 years older than me; Nonetheless, I followed my heart and blustered by any doubts that I had. The internet was still in its infancy so email and instant messaging were not an option. We relied on traditional snail mail to contact one another. She was very good and patient with me. At first it seemed to go well, but as time passed, we drifted apart, and by early 1996 our relationship dissolved through a number of rash decisions I made and by the pressure of distance. I still have the letters somewhere today, and I am still reminded of her kindness.