In Sara Lee’s Contour our gaze is drawn towards the light on the horizon and then upwards towards a looming sky. She references both our familiarity with the sky and its ephemerality. The work is hand-printed with a painterly approach Layers of subtle colour are applied directly onto the block with brushes, with very few cut blocks used. This print has been made using techniques borrowed from the Japanese ukiyo-e method.
Sara Lee has long been drawn to the changing qualities of light, air and weather. Her quiet images invoke a sense of calm. They invite the viewer to pause and contemplate the importance of landscape and our profound relationship with it, especially at this time of ominous environmental change. Lee predominantly works with print and drawing, including pastel. Her practice involves working from site-specific landscapes, followed by extended studio-based work.
Her work is included in major collections including Victoria and Albert Museum; the Golder-Thompson Collection; Swindon Museum and Gallery collection; Otter Gallery, University of Chichester collection; Pallant House Gallery, Chichester; United Therapeutics Art collection, USA; Tama University collection, Tokyo, Japan.