Michael R. Lee

Michael R. Lee, Handles Up, 2017

clay & acrylic, 11 1/2 x 13 x 8 in. (29.2 x 33 x 20.3 cm)

LEE-0024

$3,750

Michael R. Lee, Leftie's Mitt, 2017

clay & acrylic, 14 x 13 1/2 x 7 in. (35.6 x 34.3 x 17.8 cm)

LEE-0025

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Michael R. Lee, Strapped, 2017

clay & acrylic, 11 x 13 x 5 in. (27.9 x 33 x 12.7 cm)

LEE-0022

$3,750

Michael R. Lee, Buffy's Little Red Boots, 2016

clay & acrylic, 5 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 5 3/4 in. (14 x 5.7 x 14.6 cm)

LEE-0013

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Michael R. Lee, Government Issue WWI, 2016

clay & acrylic, 8 x 10 1/4 x 7 in. (20.3 x 26 x 17.8 cm)

LEE-0015

$4,800

Michael R. Lee, Retired, 2016

clay & acrylic, 9 x 15 x 10 in. (22.9 x 38.1 x 25.4 cm)

LEE-0019

$2,500

Michael R. Lee, Ed's Gas Can, 2015

clay & acrylic, 12 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (30.5 x 21.6 x 21.6 cm)

*Donated by: Michael R. Lee. All proceeds from the sale of this piece will go to The Steve Gibbs Trust.

LEE-0009

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Michael R. Lee, Grandpa's Suitcase, 2015

clay, 15 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 6 in. (39.4 x 59.7 x 15.2 cm)

LEE-0004

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Michael R. Lee, Government Issue, 1989

clay & acrylic, 8 x 6 1/2 x 5 in. (20.3 x 16.5 x 12.7 cm)

LEE-0027

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Michael R. Lee, Hard Times, 1989

clay & acrylic, 13 x 20 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (33 x 52.1 x 16.5 cm)

LEE-0005

$3,500

Michael R. Lee, The Last Alarm, 1989

clay & acrylic, 8 x 11 x 13 in. (20.3 x 27.9 x 33 cm)

LEE-0028

$1,250

Michael R. Lee, The Last Alarm, 1989

clay & acrylic, 8 x 11 x 13 in. (20.3 x 27.9 x 33 cm)

LEE-0028-GO

$1,250

Michael R. Lee, Money Bag, 1988

clay, 9 1/2 x 11 x 6 in. (24.1 x 27.9 x 15.2 cm)

LEE-0002

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Michael R. Lee

Born in Los Angeles in 1947, Michael R. Lee joined the US Navy during the Vietnam War, became a fireman in 1975 with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and retired as a haz-mat captain after 32 years. His two daughters were born with cyctic fibrosis, a progressive lung disease. Eventually, the disease took its toll, requiring Michael to become a night-time care giver on his days off. Realizing he needed a focus to keep himself awake, he began to sculpt. He would work long hours almost nightly at the kitchen table and began to learn that his adventure in clay would serve a purpose beyond just staying awake; it transformed into true artistic expression that would leave on-lookers exclaiming, “Wait, that’s clay??” Michael became fascinated with the trompe l’oeil style, French for ‘fool the eye.’ His first hyper-realistic clay sculptures - “Government Issue,” a replica of a World War II army canteen in a canvas cover, and “Hard Times,” a replica of a battered leather suitcase- won first place awards at local exhibitions and led the way to his personal style. Always on the lookout for new subject-matter, Michael scours farmer’s markets and antique stores for the perfect models. “I like to sculpt old, beat up leather and canvas objects, such as suitcases, doctor’s bags, backpacks, boots, and leather fire helmets - artifacts of human existence. My sculptures are intended to confuse the senses, creating a gap between perception and reality.” The Art Spirit Gallery would like to thank Emerge, a Coeur d’Alene gallery and art school, for introducing Michael Lee. To date, Lee’s work has garnered a growing list of enthusiastic followers. His trompe l’oeil sculptures are part of private collections in both the United States and Canada.