Kerry Lee’s first show now on display at library

Artist Kerry Lee is getting ready to embark on a new chapter in her life. She will quit the corporate world to focus solely on her art, while teaching classes in Intentional Creativity.

Lee’s first solo show, titled “The Many Muses of Kerry Lee — An Intentional Creativity Artist” is currently on the walls in Benicia Public Library’s Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Gallery.

Lee has lived in Benicia for 22 years, and “I remember when the library opened and loved the art. I thought it would be cool to have art there,” she said.

Lee’s show begins with a plaster casting of her hand that is holding a ball of red thread. The thread links all of her paintings together.

Above the paintings is a Chinese proverb:

“An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.”

“This is my story, and it’s about connection and lots of things that happen in our lives, and how we are all connected,” Lee said.

The thread is important to her: When Lee teaches her workshops, the first thing she does is a “Red Thread Ceremony.”

“It’s like an icebreaker to warm everybody up, and to bring them together” she said.

Lee, 53, refers to her near life-long artistic block as “creative constipation.” She had worked in many media in her life, but never quite found that consistent creative practice.

In 2013, she found Shiloh Sophia McCloud’s Color of Woman Method of Intentional Creativity and Intuitive Painting, which helped her to overcome her creative block.

As she wrote in a description that accompanied one of her paintings, “Intentional Creativity is a method of creating with mindfulness and intention as part of a journey of self-discovery.”

The step-by-step process involves coming up with an intention, which is written on a canvas. “It’s very personal and not shared with the group,” Lee said.

Three colors are chosen and placed as marks that represent past, present and future. “Then you just play with it like you are in kindergarten … there’s no right or wrong. Anybody can do this, artist or non-artist,” she said.

From there different steps, or layers, can be added to symbolize releasing old patterns and bringing new things to light.

Lee had one process photographed for display on the wall, showing how she created the painting “She Follows Her Own Stars.” She leads students through adding a face to the painting, and from there color is blocked in, then detail, highlights, shadows and dimension.

“I did another declaration, I declared to follow my own stars … my path in my life and not what other people tell me I should do,” Lee said.

More detail, symbols, and color are added. “(This method) is about getting in touch with your inner self,” Lee said.

Some of the photos also include student work.

“Most of these people have never painted, ever, since kindergarten. What’s really crazy, because of this step-by-step method, the lines the you are used to drawing are your lines, the way you write, and you’re used to looking at your face. A lot of them end up looking like the person who painted it. Not always, but it often happens. It’s pretty wild,” she said.

Lee is currently wrapping up her job in telecommunications, and beginning in January she will embark on her new path as a full-time artist and teacher.

Her goal is to teach Intentional Creativity worldwide. She already had a taste of what that might be like after winning a spot in the “Presidents Club” at her firm for being a high revenue producer in 2013 — for which she was awarded a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand.

“The universe just lined up,” Lee said. She and her co-teacher Denise Daffra, who is from Australia, were connected to a Christchurch local Rosie McCarthy, who arranged everything for them to teach the course.

“It sold out. We had 18 students, which was a lot, and it sold out in 24 hours,” Lee said. “We opened up a second session, it sold out too.”

Back in Benicia, Lee has a few classes lined up for the beginning of the year through Arts Benicia: One at Carter’s Biz Café, in the Commanding Officer’s Quarters in the Arsenal, and a four-week session at Angel Heart For You.

If You Go
Kerry Lee will teach a free mini-class at Benicia Public Library on “Launching Your Fearless Wish for 2015” Jan. 3 from 3-5 p.m. For more information on her art, visit www.KerryLeeArt.com.