JungHee Lee-Marles is a mixed media artist residing in Ottawa. She was born in Seoul, South Korea. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Education degree (major in oil painting, minor in sculpture) and worked as an art teacher. Later, she moved to Chicago, where she obtained her Master of Arts degree. In 1988 she immigrated to Canada. Since then, she has lived in Hull QC, Brandon MB, and Sevenoaks, England, and has travelled in Europe and across Canada and the U.S.

In Manitoba, for 10 years she was an active member of the art community, teaching art classes in a gallery and local schools, working on several solo shows funded by Manitoba Arts Council, participating in group shows, taking work shops and art classes. During that time, she was mentored by renowned Canadian artist, Wanda Koop, through the Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art Advisory Program—that was another turning point in her art career.

Living in Ottawa since 2003, she has had several solo exhibitions in Ottawa region and recently another solo exhibition opportunity was awarded by the city of Ottawa. Also, she has received exhibition grants from Ontario Arts Council for her solo exhibition at the Rotunda Gallery in Kitchener and for a group show at the Colorida Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal. She has participated in many other juried group exhibitions in the Ottawa region, Toronto, and New York City. She has received numerous awards from juried art exhibitions. Her works are held in the Government of Manitoba Art Collection, Kang Won University Art Collection (South Korea), and in private collections across Canada, the United States and overseas.

JungHee continues creating and exhibiting her artworks through solo and group shows, taking art classes and workshops, and participating and volunteering for numerous local art groups. She is a member of CARFAC, Ottawa Arts Council, Arts Network Ottawa, Foyer Gallery, and Ottawa Mixed Media Artists. Her art works have been profiled in publications such as “Internationale Kunst Heute – 2018,” “Wall Street International Art Magazine (2015),” and “International Contemporary Artists, vol. VIII (2014).”

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

JungHee’s artistic inspiration comes from history, cultures, and landscapes. All the places she has lived and visited have been a tremendous learning experience for her as an artist: the different ways people live and socialize, the different types of landscapes, and the different styles of art through which people express themselves.

JungHee often use mixed media such as drawing, acrylic, and collage in her painting projects. She also enjoys making her own papers and paper clay for her sculpture projects. Much of her effort is invested in the abstract aspects of her artwork because for her it is important to focus on expressing the emotional aspects. In each art project, colours bring out the mood—the raw emotions that she feels deeply based on what she sees, what she hears, and what she reads. Lines help her to visualize the movement of physical and emotional energies that she perceives. Textures bring her into focus on the connection between the physical world and her emotional world.