Lee Vanderwalker's Caribbean Colors appear in private and public collections throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Belize. Metro Detroiter's know her best for the watercolor art that appears in Chuck Muer Restaurants' Menus. Pieces in her collection of hand-painted silk chiffon "waves and mist" wearable art have been been worn by author and motivational speaker Iyanla Vanzant. Selected as the key fabric artist by fashion empress, Sharrone Mitchell, for "We Wear the Mask" fashion and dance extravaganza, Lee has set out to paint the town. Some of the featured pieces include giant African masks, hand painted on silk and appliquéd to the backs of coats and capes. Color is key, striking, luscious, vibing color and imagery that range from jungle prints to her own inimitable style of waves and mist on silk velvet. Articles on her have appeared in The Detroit News and Free Press, The Metro Times, The News Herald, The Macomb Daily and The Oakland Press.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lee Vanderwalker is all about color. Caribbean themes and the art of Caribbean life are not statements about the moment as we often see in native island artists, but her celebration of life. Lee is a life-long artist, web developer and graphic designer who fifteen years ago spent her first holiday in the Caribbean. The watercolor artist and silk painter has developed an eye for the interpretation and presentation of Caribbean and Island life. As an astute observer, Lee Vanderwalker brings more than impressions of the Tropics to the viewer. Lee's works are consciously designed to make an emotional statement about her love for Belize, cultural diversity, the pristine beauty of the reef and the ethos of Caribbean life.
Artist's Statement
"My painting technique and process involves layers and layers of colors, added to and subtracted from each other to alter the rich and luminous surface of the silk. At times I will lay down color upon color seeking unrevealed treasures. Painting on silk is an exercise in controlled chaos; the results are simultaneously compelling and rich." -Lee Vanderwalker
Like snapshots in a vacation photo album, Vanderwalker's paintings are moments of experience arrested by intuitive recognition of their universal appeal. Her images of the Caribbean are stunning and bright, flashes of pure color, recalling the freshness of naïve art. Exuberant color and simple, freely drawn figures present a primitive naturalness and energy.
A native Detroiter and a world traveler, Vanderwalker studied the serti-technique of silk painting at Stadt Universitat in Bamberg, Germany while maintaining a studio for two years. From 1991-2000 she founded and controlled X-Height Studio, Inc. an electronic service bureau and imaging center.
Lee’s view from her Caye Caulker, Belize window seems to go on forever. The beach, the sun and the infinite turquoise water deceive you into thinking that there is no beginning and the there is no end. When the sun goes down in the Caribbean, the stars come out and the Milky Way makes us step out of our bodies and reach for the infinite. There, is the doorstep to understanding all things.