Introducing our Resident Artist, Lee Matthews who approached us in March 2020 about taking sketches of #MarketLifeUnderCovid - and we haven’t stopped since! Some of her beautiful paintings and more about Lee below. And look out on the Insta for more!
An Interview with Lee
Artist and mum of two, Lee Matthews grew up in New York City and came to London to study painting at The Slade. "I made my first oil painting at 8 and started life drawing classes at 11. I’m very lucky to have grown up with parents who facilitated my art education outside of school. They found local artists for me to learn from".
Where did the idea for the market paintings come from? "I was so impressed when the market changed hands and became a social enterprise. I really felt the boost it gave all the vendors and I’m just so grateful to everyone for staying open during these insanely challenging times. I wanted to do something to show my support. Right now, in the midst of all the corona precautions there is so much humanity in the market. All the efforts people are making, standing in the queue for ages, it’s about what is ultimately so important to us. I think we will all remember living through this pandemic for the rest of our lives and it’s nice to document it in this way"
How are you coping under lockdown? "The lockdown has been hard for our girls so, my focus has been on making it as fun and special as possible. We roast marshmallows in our garden most evenings with our neighbours joining over the garden wall and build dens and do lots of art projects. I think a lot about the Bob and Roberta Smith quote, “There is still art there is still hope.” I’m participating in the ‘Portraits For NHS Heroes’ initiative and my daughter, Ellie has set up a project called Tie Dye Charity, making making sweatshirts and raising money for our local food bank". Amazing!
