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PROVO — Sometimes, it takes a little experimentation before you find the best way to express your creativity.
This was exactly the case with Desarae Lee, a photographer-turned-illustrator who tried a couple of avenues before finding her voice.
“I try to let my inspiration come directly from my subconscious,” Lee said. “I'm a sort of surrealist, in that I try to keep my conscious mind out of the creative process as much as possible.”
Lee studied art education at BYU and has taught art and photography as well as working what she called a “real person job” before becoming a full-time artist.
She apprenticed with a local photo journalist and fashion photographer, working in photography while exploring illustration.
“I realized that my voice was stronger and more distinct when I was drawing,” Lee said. “As I worked more and more with pen and ink, I realized that this was where I could be heard.”
Lee said everything inspires her, but the imagery she creates falls in the vein of vintage photos and contemporary music. Classic etchings and illustrations, such as those by John Tenniel for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," also guide her work.
Her studio is usually her home, but sometimes she takes her work to local coffee shops.
“Nobody really talks about how working from home can get pretty lonely, so it's nice to be able to go out and just have people around.”
Like all art, Lee’s is subject to interpretation in the eye of the beholder.
“I love watching for that rare person that will stop and really look at my drawings and feel the meaning behind them,” Lee said. “I love the connection I can see when they do.”
Lee’s work has been featured at several local galleries and has graced the covers of the Lamplighter Review magazine and "The Mattress Parlor."
Amanda is a writer and pop culture fanatic who studied journalism at BYU. She has written for a candy store, a US Senator, Deseret News, an art museum, Entertainment Weekly magazine, a beauty company, KSL and several artists and musicians. Find her on Twitter @amandataylor88.
