Art & Life with Jian Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jian Lee.

Jian, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am an introvert. I feel uncomfortable talking about myself verbally to others. For me, art is the most effective and easiest way to talk about my story and feelings. I use my characters, both in drawing and animation, to tell stories. The faces I draw are true side of me that I feel shy to reveal in real life.

As a child, I was one of those kids who constantly needed to doodle and draw. I got into comics when I was in middle school. My mom showed one of my drawings to her friend who was an art professor and she recommended me to take art classes. She was the first professional artist who gave me a constructive feedback. The art lessons exposed me to various art materials and I loved it! Growing up, there was no artist in my family so pursuing art as a career felt very new and strange to me.

Eventually, I came to California to study animation at Cal Arts. There, I fell in love with Stop motion technique, specifically puppet fabrication and illustrative aspects of moving pictures.

Currently, I teach art in colleges and show my drawings and puppets in galleries.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I mostly do drawings these days. I like using charcoal and pastel. I enjoy the sensation when I rub a stick of vine charcoal on a piece of paper. Currently, I am working on a moving drawing which is similar to my other charcoal drawings but with a slight movement. Just with a little movement, the character looks much more alive and feels like a real person in front of me.

There is a huge hole, empty room in my head. I have always had it since I was a little girl and it won’t go away. I like drawing about that space and myself in that room. Most of people have some sort of emptiness inside of them. I hope my art can make them relate and feel relieved that they are not the only ones going through such emptiness. Just by sharing our experiences can be a great way to heal ourselves.

In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
Balancing between your life/job and time to work on your art. Except for few artists who can make a living just by selling their work, I believe most artists struggle finding time and space to work on their art. I have two boys and a teaching job and it is challenging for me to manage time to do everything.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I post every art show I participate on my Instagram. www.instagram.com/jian_illustration If you are around, you can come and say hi on art opening nights. Also, work in progress pictures are posted if you are interested in how I work. You can also check out more of my art on my website, www.jianleestudio.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jianleestudio.com
• Email: contact@jianleestudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jian_illustration

Image Credit:
Jian Lee

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