Kyle Scott Lee on Love, Unity, and Self-Expression
Kyle Scott Lee, one of the featured Shop Artists for Pride Month, discusses techniques, inspiration, and what Pride means to him.
Clay Art Center is celebrating Pride Month with featured Shop collections of handmade sculptures and pottery, including the work of local artist Kyle Scott Lee. Born and raised in White Plains, New York, Lee has had a passion for art and creativity from a young age. Over the years, Lee found inspiration and personal expression through painting, drawing, photography, and voice-acting, before coming to clay in 2003. At that time, Lee was working in a demanding and high-pressure role in the tech field, and was looking for a creative way to alleviate stress. Lee remembers, “Luckily, there was a ceramic studio conveniently located just around the corner from my apartment in Brooklyn, and I'd heard that working with clay could be an effective therapeutic outlet for stress relief.” More than twenty years later, ceramics remains a passion, and Lee is known for his voluptuous ceramic vessels, vases, well-turned cups and tableware that provide the canvas for his unique hand painting and surface treatments.
Lee developed his own unique style of ceramic art by incorporating traditional shapes with a colorful and abstract sense of design and glaze application, which he achieves through wax and vinyl resist color-blocking techniques. Lee shares that, “The application of wax resist in the surface design of my work was purely experimental. My goal was to explore a resist technique that would facilitate layering and color-blocking as key elements of the surface design. I used wax resist to create an organic quality in the surface texture. Years later, I discovered vinyl as an alternative resist method, which enabled me to produce sharper, more defined shapes while still preserving the layering and color-blocking effects.” While those first experiments were done with a mouth sprayer or atomizer, Lee now uses a large Gravity Spray Gun for large surfaces and a Mini Gravity Spray Gun to achieve his delicate gradients and overlapping colors. His signature style is the result of many experiments, which Lee recommends as the best way for ceramicists just starting out to explore different techniques and styles - just be sure to keep detailed notes on your processes.
“I have multiple identifiers, but none of them define my humanity or my work. If anything, my work is influenced by my experiences, the relationships I cultivate, and the ever-evolving perspective I gain from the world around me. It's shaped by the stories I encounter, the challenges I face, and the passions that drive me forward, reminding me that my essence transcends labels and identifiers.” - Kyle Scott Lee
Lee’s vibrant work can be situated within the context of his lived experience. As he notes above, Lee’s pieces are a reflection of his evolution and that of the world around him. Lee reminds us that no artist or artwork exists on an island, and that through art, we have the opportunity to both express ourselves and contribute to our collective cultural conversation. For Lee, Pride Month is a time to convey messages of inclusivity and empowerment; he states, “As a ceramic artist, celebrating Pride Month means recognizing and honoring the diverse identities and stories within the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a time to reflect on the importance of inclusivity and acceptance, both in society and within the art world. Pride Month inspires me to create pieces that represent love, unity, and self-expression, using my medium to challenge norms and convey messages of empowerment. By embracing colors, symbols, and themes associated with Pride, I can contribute to a dialogue that promotes understanding and celebrates individuality. It’s an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the community, acknowledging the struggles and triumphs that have shaped our collective history. Ultimately, celebrating Pride Month is about creating a space where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued, both in art and in life.”
You can shop Kyle Scott Lee’s work in the Gallery and in Clay Art Center’s online Shop throughout the month of June.
Intrigued by Lee’s incredible surface design and want to try your hand at wax and vinyl resist? Register now for the Resist and Create Workshop on June 21st.
