South Florida has grown by leaps and bounds and, as a result, our culture has become more diverse and richer, particularly in the arts. California native, Lee Brock, is one of those artists who moved to South Florida and brought with her the diversity of her experience of a multicultural life that has expanded decades. So without further ado, let’s meet Lee Brock!
A World Explorer From a Young Age
Lee Brock is a native of Coronado, California with a lifelong experience of living in different parts of the world. Shortly after Lee was born her father joined the Navy. Her family traveled all over the world, exposing Lee to different cultures from a very young age.
When Lee was just 18 months old, she moved with her parents and two brothers from Southern California to Yokohama, Japan. Lee conveys that although she was too young to remember much of the three years they lived in Japan, she has a special admiration and appreciation for the city, their culture and people.
Growing up moving so frequently represented certain challenges for her. Adjusting to a new neighborhood, making new friends in school with other kids, as well as adapting to new teachers became the norm. One of the most challenging locales she and her family moved to was the far and remote Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The Aleutian Islands are an island chain that sit in the middle of the Bering Sea between Russia, at the time the Soviet Union, and the United States.
The Aleutian Islands are an island chain that sit in the middle of the Bering Sea between Russia, at the time the Soviet Union, and the United States. Needless to say it was a very dreary place to live. Lee shares what it was like to live there: “It was still the Cold War. There were lots of radars, submarines, and such”. Through the ever threatening presence of the Soviet giant looming over her daily existence, she discovered the one thing she loved and enjoyed and in which, for obvious reasons, she found refuge was drawing.
Lee continued to move around the world with her family until her father retired from the Navy after twenty years of service. When she was a teenager her father began a new job, relocating them to Europe, specifically Madrid, Spain. By this age, Lee started to explore the world in a special way.
It dawned on her that one of the benefits of her father’s new job in Spain was that it allowed her to indulge in her desire to live, learn and explore new horizons. For the last two years of high school she was enrolled in The American School in Switzerland. Lee earned her high school diploma there and shares that she cherishes some great memories from that experience.
Chef Lee and the Art of Cooking
With all of that traveling around the world and the lessons learned from her father, Lee also developed an appetite for cooking. After leaving Europe, she moved to the Big Apple with the intention of pursuing a career and her love, cooking.
Being a chef is a very regimented type of work. The food you make must come out tasting the same all the time. Lee achieved that level of culinary expertise, working at such venues as the The Pierre Hotel Restaurant, a hotspot in New York City. Lee devoted herself to her work there but also worked at The Plaza Hotel and some other exclusive venues in the area.
Although her passion and desires were there, the time came to pursue and follow other interests such as her love of art. Looking back, Lee reflects that when it comes to cooking, one thing for sure is that “It is a very hard and stressful job”.
Lee Falls in Love Twice!
In her quest for the next chapter of her life, Lee began exploring new horizons in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She had already spent some of her time there on trips living in New York, but this time she was going for more than a weekend. That decision would change her life forever. In Provincetown she fell in love twice as it was there that her personal love life was sparked and her artistic views ignited.
Lee met Sue, also an artist, a journalist, a fossil jewelry maker, and a custom leather tailor, to name a few. They have been together for over twenty years. Their lives have been rich not only in love, but also with the wonderful memories they have created traveling all over the world. They especially love France, but it was their desire to live in a tropical climate and friends that brought them to South Florida, which today they call home.
A Woman and Her Art
Art is like a brain massage and Lee acknowledges that finds her inspiration in old school expressionism and in mid century modern furniture. Creating art is an outlet that relaxes Lee while allowing her to express herself. While her techniques have evolved, she feels and considers herself a modern art / contemporary artist. Her work has been manifested as monotypes, abstract paintings, screen prints, and graphic designs to name a few.
After moving to Florida, Lee dove into her art and earned an associates degree in graphic design from Broward College. That was a pivoting time for all things digital. As a result, Lee has a great knowledge of web design, print, and digital print.
A physical injury affecting one of her hands led Lee to get even more creative. This is how she started creating a series of digital art work on i-pad using her fingers. The resulting designs are truly unique pieces that could only come from Lee herself.
She created one series which led to another, and before you knew it she had a few series completed and printed. These have been exhibited and sold in art galleries locally and in Provincetown. She has created a vast amount of digital print artwork, one she would be interested in licensing if the right opportunity comes along.
When you experience Lee Brock’s art it is clear that she brings her diverse upbringing and vast life experience to life in her art. Her designs are truly individual creations. It is this individuality that gives Lee her own place in the growing art world of South Florida.
Come See Lee’s Work!
If you are interested in getting to know more of Lee’s work, it’s on display as a solo artist at The South Florida Symphony 2201 Wilton Dr Suite 12, Wilton Manors, FL 33305. In Provincetown her work is displayed at The School House Gallery at 494 Commercial Street Provincetown, MA.
You can also visit her website: www.LeeBrockDesign.com
