Medway Cultural Council's March, 2021 Artist Spotlight- Art Lee

Art Lee – Oil Painter

Welcome to March’s installment of The Artist Spotlight!  Each month, the Medway Cultural Council will ask a Medway artist questions about their artwork. This month we will put the spotlight on Art Lee, a local Painter with a mission. Arthur Lee is an artist that suffers from Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism. As the name implies, Arthur endures Parkinson-like shaking and unsteadiness in his limbs. But Arthur does not let his illness prevent him from engaging in his love of oil painting,

Please check out Art Lee’s Gallery for more of his artwork. https://www.artleeart.com/gallery

Arthur Lee rises each day with a mission: to create a unique piece of art that is reflective of his mood of the day. This can lead to some fantastical, whimsical pieces, as well as peaceful, in-depth, thought provoking paintings. Art has created paintings of celebrities, landscapes, animals, family members, and unique abstracts.

There are days where holding a paintbrush is too challenging for Arthur; on those days, he has been known to simply dip his fingers into the paint and experiment on the canvas. One of his most prized paintings is a dramatic recreation of the Eilean Donan Castle, in the Scottish Highlands, the site of a cherished memory of a family vacation with Arthur’s family ten years ago. 

Eilean Donan Castle, in the Scottish Highlands

Recently he was invited to participate in the Deerfield Valley Art Association’s pandemic mask contest. Art placed first in the People’s Choice Award, and third in the overall art contest. All of the paintings featured a mask somewhere in the painting; Art took this to a new level, creating an oil painting of Whistler’s Mother wearing a mask (third place overall), and a rendition of the famed Norman Rockwell Self Portrait (People’s Choice Award). This was incredibly validating to this talented artist who struggles daily with his illness.

Arthur has enjoyed three previous art shows at the Patriot Place Artist Studio and Gallery, in Foxboro.  The gallery has always been supportive of Arthur,  donating space without charging a fee to the artist. Arthur’s  art shows have all been fundraisers for the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA). Each art show has been incredibly successful, allowing for thousands of dollars to be donated to the LBDA as a result. Sadly, in 2020 there was no art show, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are hopeful for 2021 to return to the gallery for another art show.

Arthur has been painting since he was a young man, but has painted more consistently in the past ten years. He has had a show at the Medway Public Library several years ago, and has been interviewed by artist and blogger Mary Weafer, as well as an in-depth article showcasing his artwork in the Artist page of the local Gazette newspaper. 

Painting has been a crucial aspect of survival for Arthur, as he battles his debilitating illness. It is this love of painting that drives him to keep going, and the satisfaction that his artwork has given joy to so many people. Arthur does have a website, although admittedly it has not been updated for a while, but if you are interested, check it out: www.artleeart.com. Lest I forget…. The next time you go to Galante’s Restaurant in town, keep your eyes peeled  for Arthur’s paintings, and see if you can find his spectacular landscapes hanging on their walls. 

Written by Chris Lee

More of Art’s Work that can be viewed on his website!