Jason Lee

I had to go to at least one talk given by a visiting/local artist as an assignment for my ceramics class. I went to one given by Jason Lee. He is a sculptor. One of the reasons I chose to go to this talk as opposed to one of the other talks was because I thought sculpture was fascinating. You know...like real art. Like Michaelangelo's David.

This was NOT that type of sculpture. To be honest, I'm not sure what message Mr. Lee is trying to send through his art. I think that part of it is a protest. A protest against our carbon footprinting, tearing down the rainforests, ruining the earth society. And I think some of it too, especially his earlier stuff, was just to mess with people a little bit. Which is rather amusing.

These are the pieces that were displayed in the gallery.

You can't see it very well in these pictures, but the green stuff in the orange boxes are actually pictures of grass. The lights on the wall are pictures of clouds. It's supposed to be a different take on 'bringing the outdoors in.'

This was my favorite piece...it's supposed to be like a flowing river.

I have mixed feelings about this artwork. I like it well enough, but it's not my style. I feel like Mr. Lee is trying to make you a bit uncomfortable with his work. He is obviously a talented man, though. I enjoyed his lecture a lot. Particularly because it completely changed my ideas on what sculpture is. It's basically anything you want it to be. I was always under the impression that sculptures were made from marble, clay, or wood...but it's not necessarily the case.

Maybe if I paid more attention in my Art Appreciation class last year I would have known that. :) I am glad that I went. Sometimes it is fun to be exposed to new ideas and different interpretations of the world around us. Even if you don't always agree with those ideas and interpretations.