Lee Lessem Artist Statement

Born on a farm in Africa and surrounded by the majesty of natural beauty, painting has always been an excellent medium for me to test the tension between the real and the abstract - what we perceive and that which truly exists.

My Toronto studio is located high above one of the most glorious parks in Ontario and I wake every day to the magnificence of nature at its best.

I am an abstract painter - constantly excited by everything that we see but most often don’t notice.
There is a delicate balance between fluidity and structure, softness and vitality, transparency and solidity, mystery and clarity in my art.

To paraphrase Cicero: “man not so much creates as discovers and rediscovers”

I hope to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them and to discover beauty