Today we’d like to introduce you to Cedar Lee.
Hi Cedar, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been an artist.
My Nana and Papa were world travelers and art collectors. Their house was filled with original artwork and beautiful things from exotic places. They gave me books about art. As a tiny girl, my parents supplied me with plenty of paper, crayons, markers, paints, scissors, tape, etc., so creating art was something I did naturally from the first second that I was able. I have no recollection of any time when I first started making art; it has just always been something I did.
My Nana and Papa’s house is the backdrop for my first memories of being completely enthralled by the world of art. This is where I remember first making the conscious decision that I would be an artist. The first time I made my desire officially known was at age 9, when I wrote a paper outlining my plans to sell my art when I grew up.
I sold my first painting at age 12, to a teacher for $40. It was a painting of a woman with a baby on her back, harvesting tomatoes in a field, the tomatoes heaped into a basket. As a young adult, I had an intense interest in the arts but was full of self-doubt at the thought of doing it professionally.
Finally, I ended up studying in Goucher College’s art department. Goucher’s campus, in Baltimore, MD, is situated in the middle of 200 acres of woods, which kick-started my life-long obsession with using trees as a subject in my art. I graduated in 2005 with honors in the major, started a website, and began introducing myself as an artist to everyone I met.
In 2006, I had my first solo show in a small Maryland art gallery, and made my first big sales, which was a thrilling moment for me! Through all the ups and downs of life and family, the rest is history. I have stuck with my art career ever since.
Today, I specialize in large-scale original paintings of forests, flora and fauna. My paintings hang in private collections across the U.S. and internationally. I’ve worked as an artist in many capacities, doing murals, large contracts to provide artwork for public housing, and book illustrations. I frequently create paintings commissioned by clients, and I provide original art as well as art reproductions for home and office settings. I work with art consultants, designers, architects, and individual clients.
All these years later, I’m still continually updating my vision for my art, continually shifting directions, and continually improving my knowledge of art materials and techniques. I’m convinced that there is no end destination for artists. It’s all about the journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth path!
Early on, of course the biggest challenge was other people not really understanding my choice to pursue art as my primary career. It’s an unconventional path for a reason! There are a lot of inherent risks in that choice, a risk of instability that is unacceptable to a lot of people, but I did it anyway. I found it was worth the risk to me, in the end.
The practical concerns of running a business have always been challenging. Independent artists have to face all the same tasks as any solo small business owner. You need to consistently market your work over a period of years to attract a following and sales. To pull this off, you must keep an unwavering commitment to your work and a strong belief in what you’re doing. While this endeavor is often fun, it comes with lot of learning curves.
I’ve never hired full-time employees, so I do everything myself, with varying levels of success over the years. I’ve had to learn a lot of skills that people don’t necessarily think of when they think of a studio artist: web design, social media marketing, bookkeeping, inventory management, writing, e-commerce, applying for opportunities, and more!
In showing my work in different venues over the years, it’s often been impossible to tell which opportunities will lead to something wonderful, and which ones are a dead end. You do develop better judgement over time.
But to some extent, you can never really know which efforts will pay off. So, I’ve had to keep a relentlessly positive attitude in everything I do. I think of putting my work into many spaces and onto many platforms as “planting seeds,” knowing that some of the seeds will grow, and some won’t.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in paintings of inspiring nature imagery, and I particularly love painting large-scale. Overall, I’m best known for my paintings of the forest and trees.
In my current work, I want my paintings to appear as though they are lit from within, themselves a source of light as they hang on the wall. I’m always asking myself, “What will make this painting glow?” I capture this elusive effect through the use of dramatic light and shadow, and through vibrancy of color.
My paintings are joyful, energizing images that give my viewers a peaceful feeling of wonder.
Over the years, I’ve increasingly seen my art as a way to support people’s mental and physical health, by giving valuable perspective or just helping people enjoy a moment of healing beauty when they need it.
I find it really gratifying to see the ways that my art can make a difference by transforming people’s homes and other spaces. My work is particularly effective in public and health care spaces, adding an uplifting mood by bringing nature indoors!
How do you think about luck?
I often think about the extraordinary good luck of being born into the right time and place to enable me to become an artist. When the Internet exploded into being, it truly democratized the art world, giving every artist with Internet access an equal opportunity to create their own platform and have their work seen by others. If I had been born during any other time in history, as a woman, there is a very good chance my work would never have been seen, or maybe not given a chance to exist at all!
Pricing:
- Small art prints starting at $15
- Large art prints $300 and up
- Small original paintings starting at $100
- Large-scale original art $900 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artbycedar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbycedar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtByCedarFans
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artbycedar/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cedarlee
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-by-cedar-portland
