April 27, 2020
As we are still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought we may share what is on display in the Lounge Gallery at the Arts Center. This program changes quarterly and is an opportunity for an artist just launching a career or re-visiting a career to have a small solo exhibition. Lee’s careful considerations of common household objects are significantly relevant during these weeks we have all spent at home.
Lee Coffey (b.1994) is an artist based in Athens, Georgia. Working primarily in oil paint, his artworks celebrate the mundane, depicting everyday items such as house keys or signage with an emphasis on scale and color. He draws inspiration from flea markets, thrift stores, Internet holes, advertisements, art history and the objects that make up his daily surroundings. His paintings have been included in select group exhibitions at Hathaway Contemporary, Lyndon House Art Center, and the Pinecrest Lodge.
Lee grew up in Virginia and moved to the suburbs of Atlanta at 13. Outside of art, his interests include skateboarding and music. Lee is a big fan of the music of Jonathan Richman. He is currently finishing a BFA in painting at the University of Georgia. He is also the assistant director at Tif Sigfrids and Howard’s galleries in downtown Athens.
We asked Lee what he has been up to during the past month… “I recently finished painting a portrait of Tony Hawk that I had made a drawing for before the outbreak. I am currently working on some smaller oil paintings of targeted Instagram ads, thinking about perspective in the physical and philosophical sense. I’ve also been working on more drawing and collage stuff at my house. Somedays it’s tough to stay focused and motivated but I’m thankful to have space to work. It’s a bummer social distancing with the weather being so nice somedays but what can ya do? I’ve been skateboarding in this empty lot by my house and finally gotten around to watching some of the movies friends have recommended to me. I’m trying to learn to how to juggle a soccer ball.”
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