Lee E. Wright Urban Exposure

October 9 – November 5 at SAMARA Gallery

Lee  E.  Wright  Urban  Exposure  

Opening  Reception:  October  9,  2015,  6-­‐8pm  October  9-­‐November  5,  2015  

   

SAMARA  Gallery  is  pleased  to  present  Urban  Exposure,  a  solo  exhibition  of  post-­‐contemporary  paintings  by  Lee  E.  Wright.  This  new  body  of  work  spans  the  high  and  low  lights  of  the  past  20  years  of  Wright’s  life—from  being  a  homeless  teenager  to  working  for  the  largest  financial  institutions  in  the  United  States,  and  finally  the  feelings  of  freedom  and  success  experienced  when  he  realized  his  childhood  dream  of  becoming  an  artist.          Wright’s  describes  his  work  as  an  anti-­‐anti-­‐aesthetic  movement,  valuing  beauty  and  form.  He  specifically  strives  to  record  his  own  turbulent  youth  through  a  lens  of  beauty,  using  the  paintbrush  to  conjure  feelings  and  past  experiences.  Wright  states,  “I  strive  to  draw  the  viewer  to  my  images  with  surface  beauty  or  innocence,  but  I  want  the  viewer  to  linger  and  see  the  hidden  nuances  and  ponder  the  meaning  behind  the  beauty,  which  is  typically  a  much  darker  view.    The  eyes  of  my  subjects  reveal  the  pain  and  complexity  of  life  that  is  hidden  by  the  surface.”    Lee  E.  Wright  has  exhibited  in  the  US  and  abroad  including  Tokyo,  Bogota,  Madrid,  Rotterdam,  Los  Angeles,  and  many  venues  in  Houston.  His  work  is  included  in  many  public  and  private  collections  including  the  George  H.  W.  Bush  Library  collection.  He  currently  lives  and  works  in  Houston,  Texas.    

Captain  of  Industry,  Oil  and  ink  on  paper,  31”  x  43.5”      “This  piece  is  meant  to  convey  the  feelings  I  had  as  a  child.  The  feelings  that  told  me  anything  is  possible  and  that  I  

could  be  anything  I  want.  This  is  a  magical  time  for  most  children.”  

     Smile  at  All  Times,  Oil  on  canvas,  52”  x  31.5”      

“This  piece  shows  the  dreams  of  my  youth  gone  awry  and  depicts  my  late  teen  years  as  a  homeless  addict.  While  my  dreams  may  have  been  derailed  by  my  own  self  destructive  path  I  still  tried  to  keep  a  positive  disposition  which  is  why  the  main  model  is  holding  the  “smile”  sign.”  

Dead  End,  Oil  on  canvas,  31.5”  x  31.5”      “This  piece  depicts  the  realization  that  the  life  I  was  living  was  going  down  a  street  that  would  not  lead  where  I  wanted  it  to.  The  use  of  the  nude  female  is  to  illustrate  that  while  I  realized  that  I  was  

on  the  wrong  path  I  also  recognized  the  beauty  in  that  realization.”  

Naïve,  Oil  on  canvas,  38”  x  38”      

“This  painting  is  to  show  the  pride  that  I  had  when  I  started  working  for  the  largest  financial  institutions  in  the  world.  The  woman  has  her  chin  up  and  her  chest  out  to  illustrate  that  pride.  The  

reason  I  choose  the  title  “Naïve”  for  this  piece  is  because  of  the  harsh  realization  that  soon  followed.”  

     Guarded,  Oil  and  ink  on  paper,  32.75”  x  24.5”      “The  image  of  the  woman  closing  her  jacket  is  intended  to  symbolize  the  closing  of  an  error  of  false  pride  in  my  life.  After  discovering  the  true  intentions  of  the  companies  I  worked  for  and  the  people  I  worked  with  I  was  no  longer  proud  of  how  far  I  had  come  in  life,  instead  I  was  ashamed  and  became  very  guarded.  The  black  and  white  of  the  building  and  the  dull  color  of  the  woman  is  intended  to  show  

the  viewer  that  the  color  had  been  sucked  out  of  my  world.”  

Success,  Oil  on  canvas,  31.5”  x  42”      “This  painting  is  vibrant  full  of  color  and  shows  a  model  who  is  truly  proud.  This  image  shows  my  feelings  of  freedom.  Freedom  from  the  addictions  that  once  ruled  me  and  the  corporations  that  tried  to  rule  me.  It  also  encompasses  the  

feelings  of  finally  realizing  the  dream  I  had  as  a  child,  the  dream  to  be  a  professional  artist.”  

In  the  Clear,  Ink  on  paper,  10”  x  8”  

I  Got  Your  Back,  Ink  on  paper,  10”  x  8”  

That  Mean,  Ink  on  paper,  10”  x  8”  

Nude  XI,  Ink  on  paper,  10”  x  8”  

Nude  V,  Ink  on  paper,  10”  x  8”  

Beauty  Desired  color  study  Oil  on  prepared  paper,  14”  x  12”  

The  Beard  Oil  on  prepared  paper,  14”  x  12”  

The  Light  Above  Oil  on  prepared  paper,  14”  x  12”  

Nude  IV  Oil  on  prepared  paper,  14”  x  12”  

Beauty  Desired  study,  Ink  on  paper,  28”  x  22”  

Going  to  the  Game  study,  Ink  on  paper,  16”  x  24”  

The  Look  Out,  Ink  on  paper,  28”  x  22”  

Alone,  Giclee  print  on  canvas,  ed.  of  30,  36”  x  36”      “This  is  one  of  my  most  acclaimed  paintings.  The  child  is  alone  in  a  big  city  and  there  is  no  one  to  look  after  her,  the  child  is  desperately  wanting  to  grow  up  but  as  evidenced  by  the  lollipop  stick  on  the  ground  she  is  unfortunately  still  a  child.  As  evidenced  by  the  color  palette  the  child  is  currently  in  a  cold  and  harsh  world  where  she  currently  stands,  yet  on  the  other  side  of  the  tracks  in  the  distance  you  can  see  a  warm  color  palette  peeking  through  the  support  beams.  The  child  

desperately  wants  to  get  to  the  other  side  of  the  tracks.”  

 

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