Charlotte Lees, artist.
Charlotte Lees transforms and translates the elements of nature to express a personal vision of her environment. Beauty matters and her goal is to create lasting images that connect man to his surroundings.
Having been born and raised in Cleveland, Lees proudly received the Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in 1995 for her outstanding body of sculpture.
Living on wooded property, trees became the perfect material for her wall and free standing images. Many of the cherry trees were logged, planked and carefully aged before carving. Most of her wood sculptures are intricately painted, this is a result of her early training as a graduate student at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Being well travelled she has incorporated images from diverse cultures into her work. On a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico she became fascinated with embossed metal and has incorporated this technique into her artist vocabulary.
Art is her passion and Lees has successfully completed both public and private commissions in stainless steel, aluminum, bronze and wood. She has said that she enjoys the freedom of developing concepts without material constraints. As well as commissions Lees has had numerous museum and gallery exhibitions. She is constantly trying to expand her artistic vocabulary by exploring the work through “fresh eyes” and looks forward to the challenge of creating new sculptural ideas.
You can view an example of her public art sculpture SIDE by SIDE at the pocket park on Third Ave. in the Harrison West Community of Columbus.
Charlotte Lees is represented by Sleeping Bear Gallery, Empire, Michigan and Saatchiart.com. She is an archived artist at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.
Artist Statement
The relationship between man and his environment has been the focus of my recent work. Having been trained as a painter and printmaker, my sculpture has a two dimensional quality. Working primarily in wood, I carve, assemble and paint my pieces. Many sculptures contain added materials such as birch bark, metal and photo images. These elements help to create a complex and visually exciting landscape.
Content is important and I strive to present a unique view of our surroundings. I am constantly trying to increase my artistic vocabulary by exploring my world through “fresh eyes.”
Arts Beacon of Light Artist Talk with Charlotte A. Lees Video, Ohio Arts Council Riffe Gallery, March, 2023
Solon artist Charlotte Lees calls her public art sculpture ‘a joyful piece’ article on Cleveland.com, October, 2019
Featured Artist at the Ohio Governor’s Residence – Autumn, 2017, The Ohio Channel Video
Chronology
Education
Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, M.A.
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, B.S. Cum Laude
Selected Exhibition and Awards
2018 Harris Stanton Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
2017 Spotlight: Featured Artist at the Ohio Governor’s Residence, Columbus, Ohio
2017 Visual Arts Gallery, Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, Ohio, “Women X”
2015 44th Mid-States Craft Exhibition, Evansville Museum, Evansville, In.
2014 Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry Juror’s Choice Winner
2009 & 2011 Youngstown, Ohio, Bulter Museum of American Art Midwest Exhibition
2007 Massillon, Ohio, Massillon Museum of Art, “Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition”
2000 Portsmouth, Ohio, Southern Ohio Museum, “Sculpture by Charlotte Lees”
1999 Canton, Ohio, Canton Museum of Art, “New Works by Charlotte Lees”
Awards
2002 Josephine Beardsley Sandor Memorial Award, Catharine L. Wolfe Art Club, New York.
2002 Francis E. Willard Award, Alpha Phi International Outstanding Career Achievement Award.
1995 Individual Artist Fellowship, Ohio Arts Council.
Collections
City of Rockville, Maryland
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Athens First Bank and Trust, Athens, Ga.
Peoples Bank, Munster, In.
City of Solon, Solon, Ohio
Hobe Sound Library, Hobe, Fl.
Harrison West, Columbus, Ohio
Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
Port Charlotte Town Mall, Port Charlotte, Fl.
Benjamin Rose Institute, Cleveland, Ohio
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Ohio
Bibliography
2016 Still Point Arts Quarterly, Spring 2016 Issue No.21, “Sculpture 2016 – Charlotte Lees”
2014, “The Archives Speak”, Insights and Images of Ohio Artists
2011, Artists of the Western Reserve catalogue “Looking Inward”
2003-4, Solon Magazine, “Charlotte Lees Blissful Existence”
2002 January, Columbus Dispatch, “Sculpture becomes signature of neighborhoods character”
1995 May, The Plain Dealer, “A Brush with Beauty”
Art Related Public Services and Presentations
2015-present, Cleveland Museum of Art Womens Council Board
2009-present, Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, Peer Review Committee
1999 Presenter, Western Reserve Studies Symposium “The Promise of the Land”
1998 WVIZ Channel 25 “Applause Program,” Benjamin Rose Place: featuring Warren’s garden
