Backstories

                     18th May - 6th July 2021

 

A solo exhibition of paintings prints and drawings exploring history, intrigues and scandal using narrative subject matter through artefacts, landscapes and portraits. The backstories of Jackie O's archived clothes, the english idyll of the young Romanovs, the scandal of Lady Isabel Burton's legacy and death are some of the themes explored, imagined and revealed in paint and compelling research.

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" Laden with confidence and colour, her paintings seduce and lure us in through masterful brush marks, teasing us to piece together a constellation of visual clues and interpret each specific tale. and Lee Johnson can really paint - her techniques, unique paint marks and use of colour and texture ......place her in the rarified company of the likes of Peter Doig and Dexter Dalwood...."  Anna McNay writer Art Quarterly

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                                       BLUEBEE GALLERY

                                       Spring edition 2019

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                                      The Shoes of Jackie O

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" In this portrait of a pair of black shoes Jan offers us a window into the lived experiences of historical figures.  Jan builds up details from the ground up, applying blocks of paint and adding decorative elements.  By connecting us to someones past we are inspired to pick up on the more humorous and routine facets of their otherwise exposed life.

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Jan carefully treats her artwork as an extension of an archive."