Sweet Disposition

Artist spotlight - Brittney Lee

I can't remember how I happened upon her work, but her style is so cool. It's all retro and defined shapes and is something that I've always wanted to be able to pull off, but never could. The woman works wonders with paper. Some of her pieces are so creative and awesome! It makes me want to try my hand at paper and cut-outs.

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"My name is Brittney Lee, and I grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. My family lives on a lake, and my experiences and adventures there were probably the most influential parts of my childhood with respect to my artistic career. Outside, I had all of nature to observe and study and draw, while inside the house was filled with a century’s worth of artwork and design.

As I got older, I took every art class that I could find. I actually worked with my high school teachers to create extra independent studies in art. After high school, I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Film and Animation for my bachelor’s degree. There I became close with a very talented group of students, and met my advisor/mentor Nancy Beiman, who greatly influenced all of us who worked with her.

When I paint digitally, I mainly work in Photoshop to color my artwork. I like to loosely lay down broad areas of color and then refine the shapes using the eraser tool. I didn’t study color in school, so I am constantly collecting references to gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t and why.

I like to start my day with a coffee and some scribble drawings to get creative juices flowing. It is a technique I learned from workshop with Nate Wragg back in 2007, and it really encourages experimentation with different shapes and compositions.
Staying physically active usually boosts my creative energy. Other than that, I try to surround myself with creative stimulus. I watch lots of films, listen to all kinds of music, see a lot of plays, and keep my work and living spaces filled with photographs, artwork, books, and other knick-knacks that inspire me. Having great friends to bounce ideas off of and to be inspired by always helps too!"

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