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NEWS

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Your Design Juice Blog Article - Featured Artist
9/1/2021

WildSide Studio was recently featured in the design and art blog written by Hazel Lee, a digital designer and entrepreneur who has a passion to feature and promote creatives.

 

Launched in June 2015, it is one of the best design blogs to be found on the Internet. YDJ Blog showcases creative work and inspiring stories from the global design & art community.

     Among the types of contents you can find on the blog are curated works and articles ranging from UX/UI design, typography, prints, brand identity design, art, motion graphics, animations and illustrations.

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Hammond Museum Annual June First Anniversary
Exhibition
New York

6/1/2021

WildSide Studio is excited to announce that Cruel April #2 has been selected to be part of the first anniversary June Exhibition at the Hammond Museum, located in North Salem, New York.  Exhibition opening and virtual artist's reception to held June 5, 2021. 

This T.S. Eliot inspired artwork features a bird that appears dead, but seems to come back to life when illuminated in darkness, examining themes of death, longing, and the ability we have as humans to keep loved ones alive in our hearts and minds. 

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Light in the Darkness Exhibition
Las Laguna Gallery, California

10/23/2020

WildSide Studio is pleased to announce that Cruel April #2 has been selected to be part of a group exhibition, Light in the darkness, at Las Laguna Gallery, California.

Las Laguna Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery that features art from a diverse group o f artists representing a variety of mediums.

The featured pieceis a mixed media artwork on 36" x 48" canvas, backlit by LED lights mounted in the back to provide a different visual experience in darkness.  Inspired by the T.S. Eliot poem.

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International Representation Singulart Gallery Paris, France
10/2020

Kris Lee, WildSide Studio, is excited to announce that the artist now has international representation by Singulart, Gallery, located in Paris, France.  Singulart Gallery is an invitational, curated online platform designed to complement existing gallery representation of the artists they represent. 

"The artists on Singulart are nationally recognized for the quality of their work.  They have held solo exhibitions, been awarded major art prizes, have exhibited outside of their home country and appeared in national and specialist press."  


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Central Colorado Conservancy Annual Gala
11/07/2019

New works will be on exhibit and for sale at the Central Colorado Conservancy Annual Fundraiser Gala on November 7, 2019.  CCC is "committed to conserving the region's land, water, and wildlife to protect the values that make Central Colorado special." 

 

Three new WildSide Studio pieces will be on exhibit at the Artists for Conservation-Through the Artist's Eyes Exhibition, with a portion benefiting this outstanding non-profit organization.  The new works are stylized mountain landscapes, created with a collection of cut, hand-made papers and gold leafing.

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Ghost Gallery
Exhibition
Seattle, WA

10/10/19

WildSide Studio to have work on exhibit at Ghost Gallery, in Seattle, WA from October 10 Through December 2019.  A new piece titled,  Ghosts of Summer will be part of a group exhibition focusing on endangered species of moths and butterflies in North America, Canada, and Mexico.  

 

The butterfly featured is a Regal Fritillary Butterfly,  However, the artwork is painted with a limited palette to encourage the viewer to imagine future summers with less color, if endangered moth and butterfly populations continue to decline.  A percentage of the sales will be donated to the Xerces Society, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of biodiversity through increasing awareness and protection of  endangered invertebrates.

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Empty Easel Blog
Featured Artist

10/31/19

Stunning, LED Back-lit Mixed Media Paintings by Kris Lee

By Dan in Featured Artists > Mixed-media Art

WildSide Studio artwork was recently featured by the Empty Easel Art Blog, with an article written by EmptyEasel's founder, Dan Duhrkroop.

 

Empty Easel is an online art magazine that contains practical advice, tips, and tutorials for artists.  Since 2006 EmptyEasel has become one of the most visited advice sites for artists on the World Wide Web.

Excerpt from Blog Article:

Colorado artist Kris Lee has been an art dealer, gallery manager, and full-time artist. She currently works out of her studio in Salida, Colorado, creating amazing artwork that is truly electrifying—in more ways than one!

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CI Interiors Commission Completed
6/3/18

A commission was just completed for Cooke Interiors Studio, located in Whitefish, Montana.  CI Studio specializes in luxury residential Interior design.

WildLight #8 is an all white paper pulp sculpture on canvas.  36" x 48"   Media utilized in this piece:  Paper Pulp, Capiz Shell, Tempered Glass, Bamboo, Sisal, Acrylic on Canvas, lit with LED Wire and Strip.    The artwork illuminates and was inspired by the white trunks of aspen tree groves.

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Back in Breckenridge!

9/23//17

 

Kris Lee will be back in the high country on Saturday to exhibit new work and do public painting demonstrations Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Lee will be demonstrating techniques used to create her illuminated mixed media works on canvas.  

 

Meet the artist, and view her newest pieces on display, at the newly opened location of Raitman Art Gallery 421 South Main, Breckenridge.  (970) 547-8399 

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Presence Magazine/Journal

6/1/15

CRUEL APRIL was featured on the cover of June 2015 PRESENCE Magazine, a journal for the Spiritual Directors International, which is a global learning community of over 6000 members.  The magazine is for spiritual leaders from numerous nations and a huge variety of spiritual traditions, all with a focus on creating a more inclusive, thoughtful, and peaceful world.   

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Raitman Gallery, in Vail, hosts mixed-media artist Kris Lee | VailDaily.com

     VAIL — Kris Lee is a brave artist. It takes guts to intentionally punch glass through a nearly finished painting. Yet, this is precisely what Lee does to complete her masterfully executed works in mixed-media. 

The end results of Lee's work are fascinating. Through the incorporation of glass and LED lighting Lee is able to give each original piece an entirely different appearance depending on the time of day.  "I love the challenge of essentially painting two pieces simultaneously and the remarkable transformations that are possible through the addition of backlighting the canvases," Lee said. 

     With the lights on in the room, or a lot of natural day light, each piece is alive with hand-embossed metal, vivid acrylic paints and a plethora of texture. When the lights go down, Lee's work literally glows. The negative space in the work allows for the LED lights to shine. Broken bits of hand-blown glass act as light bulbs, which is Lee's reason for punching it through her canvases. Occasionally, she will even cut the canvas to provide both a three-dimensional effect and to allow light to shine through the folded forward parts of the painting. In a word, Lee's work is innovative.

     “I am always going through the hardware store like it’s a candy shop. My studio kind of resembles a junkyard. I’m always gathering strange materials and collaging them together.”  Additional materials used by Lee include precious metal clay, wax, rice paper, Raku pottery, inktense pencil, liquid copper, wire and much more.  "I believe that the more materials I master, the better I am able to explore different concepts and expand my visual vocabulary to express myself," she said. 

     She is an expert at contrasting entirely different materials, such as deer wire and pyrite with rice paper and cyanotype on fabric. You will find all of the above in the piece Lee will be working on this weekend during her shew at the Art on a Whim gallery in Vail. The piece, titled "Fool's Gold" is 24-inches tall by 48-inches wide.  "I enjoy contrasting industrial and organic materials," Lee said.  "Organic forms in my work come from actual organic materials, such as rice paper, which I use to depict grasses or trees.  Industrial materials, like wire, give the work a contrasting geometric form." 

 

     A recently completed piece titled, Fire and Ice, blends Lee's love of abstraction with her skill in painting realism.  An icy aspen branch, constructed from rice papers, sits amongst a superbly abstracted background. Like much of her work, the piece is part sculpture, part painting and all mixed-media adventure.  Hand-embossed metal shines in beautiful blue tones throughout. The metal is carved three times, twice on the front and once from the back, to create intricate swirling, textured patterns. For good measure, broken pieces of copper toned Raku pottery are included throughout the work. This complements the broken bits of glass, which shines like crystals when the light in the painting is the only light in the room. Watching the piece morph into an entirely different composition depending on the light surrounding it gives the viewer the impression that they are looking at two entirely different works of art. 

     Continuing her thoughts on incorporating so many unique materials within one piece, Lee says, "I am always going through the hardware store like it's a candy shop. My studio kind of resembles a junkyard. I'm always gathering strange materials and collaging them together." It is mesmerizing to see an artist move so seamlessly between materials while still expertly presenting a unified concept within each piece. Much like her materials, Lee's list of influences seems to stretch on in a unique, yet somehow obvious, collection of sources of inspiration. She lists everything from abstract expressionism, Dr. Seuss and Alexander Calder to aspen trees, oil refineries and crystal chandeliers. She muses, "Most of my work is a little playful, but in a weird way." Each of her pieces, while incredibly unique and statement making, manages to effortlessly blend into every type of interior. 

     Having lived in the mountains for years, it is a joy to see Lee's work lighting up Vail. Her current show at the Art on a Whim gallery features six original pieces, all created in Lee's signature mixed-media style. She will be working on her new piece (Fool's Gold) on both Friday and Saturday evenings while also discussing the work. When you visit the show, be sure to ask the gallery owners to turn off the lights. Pardon the pun; you will see the work in a whole new light.

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VALLEY VISIONS

Salida Council

for the Arts Annual Exhibition

9/29/12

Valley Visions Salida Arts Exhibition​

Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 4 PM - 7 PM

Salida SteamPlant Event Center

220 W Sackett Ave, Salida, Colorado 81201

 

Featured Piece:  

Little Savages, #1 Freaks of Nature Series

Illuminated mixed media on canvas

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Exclusive Representation by Raitman Galleries  Breckenridge and Vail

10/11/13

Kris Lee, WildSide Studio LLC has contracted with Raitman Art Galleries, in Breckenridge and Vail, for exclusive representation.  New work will be exhibited there on an ongoing basis.

       

Lee works out of her studio in Salida, but will be coming Breckenridge and Vail regularly to do demos and to meet with collectors.  

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Gatherhouse Glassblowing Studio, Artist-in-Residence

11/25/11

Kris Lee will be artist-in-residence at GatherHouse Glassblowing Studio + Gallery.  Gatherhouse is the working artist's studio of John Hudnut.  John teaches glassblowing classes to all levels. It's a great way to get a hands-on experience of working with 2000-degree molten glass. There are glassblowing demonstrations on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 6 pm. 

     

Kris will be on site drawing and painting, as well as exhibiting new pieces.  Kris has incorporated broken pieces of Hudnut's handblown glass in her pieces for years and is excited to have an opportunity "hands-on" glassblowing adventures!

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Summit Select Art Invitational Exhibition

11/2/11

Summit Select Invitational Exhibition-

This event showcases the unique works of ten of Summit County’s best artists! 

Participating artists are:

Maria Chambers – Ceramic
Jenn Cram – Textiles
Connie Johnson – Prints/Posters
Kris Lee – Experimental Art
Jamie Monroe – Metal
Diane Nims – Jewelry
Joe Patane – Glass
Richard Seeley – Photography
Barry Westerland – Watercolors

This annual art exhibition and sale is also a fundraiser for the Summit County Arts Exhibition Committee; specifically to help fund an annual Summit County High School Art Scholarship.

SPRTV volunteers will be on-hand to serve refreshments and answer questions about Summit Public Radio & TV.  This will be a nice opportunity to learn more about SPRTV, and pick-up a free Summit County Station Guide to FM Radio and Free, Over-The-Air TV.

County Commons Building  1:00 PM until 7:00 PM

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SUFI LIGHT

Private Commission Completed

3/9/11

Sufi Light, a private commission, has been finished and delivered to a collector in San Francisco.  The piece took approximately four months to complete.  4' x 6' Dimensions.  Every inch of the canvas has been covered with materials, colors, symbols... all relating to Sufism and the poetry of Rumi. 

     

Materials used:  hand-spun/felted wool, rice paper, embroidery, 18 KT Gold Leaf, polymer clay, acrylic paint, fabrics, glass tiles, hand-sewn freshwater pearls, mirrors, glass seed beads, hand-blown glass, dried rose petals, all on canvas backlit with LEDs.  A repeating prayer in Farsi was done in collaboration with artist/calligrapher Rani Abd El Ghani AZZI from his studio in Morocco. 

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TREE OF LIFE

Private Commission Completed

11/14/10

Tree of Life - Private Commission has been completed.  This piece took approximately four months to complete.  4' x 6' dimensions.  Media used included:  Acrylic, Rice Paper, Leaf Skeletons, Bristol Board, Liquid Copper. Ceramic Tiles, Polymer Clay, Hand-blown Glass on Canvas, Backlit with LEDs

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Work on Display Ember Restaurant-Breckenridge

4/10/10

Ignition, a new piece, will be on display at Ember Gallery, in Breckenridge.  Dimensions: 45" x 45"  Media:  Acrylic, Rice Paper, Plastic Net, Bristol Board, Chicken Wire, 18 KT Gold Leaf, Hand-blown Glass on Canvas, Backlit with LEDs.  This new restaurant will be featuring selected art from Teal Gallery (211 North Main, Breckenridge).  

Ember Restaurant  106 East Adams, Breckenridge  www.emberbreck.com  Great food and great art!

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Work on Display at Teal Gallery, Breckenridge

6/2/09

Kris Lee, WildSide Studio, will be represented exclusively by the Teal Art Gallery, located in Breckenridge, Colorado.  Teal Gallery displays and sells contemporary fine art from outstanding  local, national and international artists.  The gallery is owned and operated by Stephanie Sadler.   211 North Main, Breckenridge  

Hours:

Monday – Friday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:30 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday by appointment
Please call Stephanie at (505) 490-7700 

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WILDFIRE EXHIBITION Breckenridge Theater Gallery

3/11/09

WildFire Exhibition - Elemental Works by artists Kris Lee and Bill Bickerton.   Mixed media on canvas backlit with LEDs by Lee and Raku Pottery pieces created by Bickerton. 

 

On display at the Breckenridge Theater gallery from 3/11/2009 through 4/11/2009.   121 South Ridge Street, Breckenridge, CO.  Opening Reception 3/14/2009 form 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.  Artists will be present to discuss their work. 

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