Gee Gee Collins & Lesley Grainger

February 8 to February 27, 2018

- PRESS RELEASE -

Lilac Gallery New York is pleased to present “Story in Lines” a group show exhibiting works by Gee Gee Collins and Lesley Grainger. This dynamic duo has been friends for years through the world of social media, and today by chance, the two artists will be collaborating in an exhibit at Lilac Gallery from February 8 to February 27, 2018.

Both of these artists hold similar qualities in their work, focusing on the idea of freedom in line, shape, and form. They have a strong passion for telling a story through the playfulness in their color and strong suggestive lines, yet still yielding highly sophisticated compositions in each of their works. Each artist portrays similar concepts in their styles; what seems to be simple, easy and unorganized is actually wonderfully planned executions that create the artist's stories through the boldness in their abstractions. 

Gee Gee and Lesley share their artistic processes with the public, being highly popular in the world of social media; which is where both artists initially met. They shared support instantly, collecting each other's work and starting an inspiring friendship. This powerful tool had them exchanging thoughts and comments about each other's work, as both accounts grew in followers over the years. Today their support from the public is outstanding, having over 20K followers each.  It is truly impressive how the web has proven one of the most advanced and helpful vehicles for artists around the world, and this exhibit is one to really prove true.  

Gee Gee Collins was born 1973 and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied painting under Michael Phillips at the College of Charleston and received a bachelor's degree in Fine Art from the University of Georgia. She also traveled and studied at Lamar Dodd School of Art in Cortona, Italy. From the start of her career, she has been captivated by bright colors and the essence of minimalism. Her bold brush strokes and colorful palette combine to create layers of paint that give each piece a history and an ethereal quality. She approaches the canvas with ease and spontaneity, resulting in paintings filled with energy and movement. Gee Gee is best known for her abstract paintings exploring unique pallets with line and texture. She is heavily influenced by Joan Mitchell, Franz Kline, and Matisse. 

Lesley was born in Yorkshire, England, where she grew up in a small Northern fishing town, and currently resides in Orange County, California. She received a B.A. Honors First Class degree in Illustration and Design from the University of Lincoln. Early in her career, she worked as graphic designer and later began to produce children’s books and licensed artwork. For the last several years her main focus and passion has been abstract painting. Seeking to create an abstract visual language that cannot be expressed otherwise is Lesley Grainger's main objective. She works intuitively and thoughtfully while discovering new and interesting color and compositions. Painting is a reflection of experience and what Lesley has found is that each painting is translated to the next, like an ongoing story. Color is a boundless part of her process, seeking to explore color combinations that intrigue the senses and reveal something unexpected. Discovery is key in Lesley's expression, as she works with the canvas, adding and removing elements. This pushes her to new levels and what brings a sense of how art can change the way we think, the way we feel and the way we connect with the world.