Words by Evan La Ruffa
Often times an artists' aesthetic can be so succinct that you wonder what else they might be able to come up with. This isn't anywhere near the case with Brian Lee, who goes from specific character pieces to incredible abstract paintings, all of which employ vibrant color, jagged shape, and thoughtful composition. Brian studied Art history at USC, and exudes the aura of someone who is methodical, pensive, and opinionated. As the Founder / Curator for Hold Up Art in Los Angeles, Brian has hosted a range of great events and exhibitions, further invigorating the local scene, while providing an intentional space for incredible art. The latest exhibition of his own works is entitled BLEEHOUSE, and its contents are as varied as its creators' artistic endeavors. In a world of saturation, artists and curators of this caliber are the cornerstones of hyper-local yet worldwide creative movements. It's fair to say that IPMM is happy to be plugged into BLee's circuit, and we think you'll feel the same way after the following inquisition.
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IPMM: Brian! First off, you gotta know how happy and proud we are of your work generally and this show specifically. Way to be man, we love it! Nerves in getting ready for it?
BLee: The build up for the show was exciting, one of those things that you don't know how to behave or react because its so unfamiliar of an experience yet the work is all so personal.
IPMM: How you settle on the title of the exhibition? Sounds like a fantastic place inside your brain, lol...
BLee: BLEEHOUSE is a loose entity that has a lot of potential to go a lot of new places traditional painters haven't been able to go, because of more of a "band" type of perspective - the groups thought is greater than any individual player. In this new age of contemporary art, we not only need to be changing the access, display and care of our art and how its presented, but the artists need to change what they do and how they do it, in order to stay relevant to our audience base. As I'm still not even sure how BLEEHOUSE will fully manifest itself in the months and years to come, I figured orienting the show as a showcase of the talent that lies behind the name was the best way to introduce people to the styles and ideologies that drive our aesthetic. 
IPMM: Amongst the new pieces for the show, we were partial to the painting you posted online with which you solicited titles for from your fans. Has the warrior on the unicorn been given a name? (We suggested "Sir Real," lol)...
BLee: Haha, and I appreciated the help you guys gave in my wrestling with the character of that piece. I ended up titling the piece "Unicorn Man". Titling art for me can sometimes become an obsession, and neurotic. Specifically when you deal with such abstract art, the name is sometimes the only reference point a viewer has to get to the point you are trying to lead them to. I've always had fun titling art. IPMM: We're also big fans of the painting with the 3 male faces, one w the bandana over his face. The use of colors in combination with shading and light source is all so well done...
BLee: I'm glad you mention shading and lighting in your description of my painting. That is much of what drives me to paint tangible objects. Since I was young, I had always obsessed with the various sources of light and shade that hit a given object at any time. These subtleties are the small details that subconsciously make an image make sense to us, and when an artist or painter leaves out these details, intentionally or unintentionally, it drastically adds to the drama and off- kilteredness (which I don't think this is a word) of a piece. IPMM: (Laughs) It is now! ... You recently spoke to me of metaphors you purposely create in your art. Tell us what you mean...
BLee: Talking about art and my own art is something that for the most part comes after the act of creation. Any piece can be conceptually driven, however, since I began to paint seriously again I made an effort to create a process and style that becomes automatic, and unscripted yet follows a "dogma" of sorts. This dogma is in many ways a set of aesthetics and stylistic tendiencies I have created for myself ... It becomes a fictious language rooted in the visual history of the world, or my understanding of the world, ultimately presenting a reimagined antiquity. I say that these images become visual metaphors to understanding our own culture in the same way that George Harrison solos can; you eventually listen past the notes, and past the inflections and style, and begin to listen to George, and his soul, his spirit. 
IPMM: As incredible as the characters you create are, we're even more drawn to the abstract paintings included in the exhibition. You make connections between your abtract work and the principles at play in the creation of jazz music. Again, indulge us...
BLee: Visual art and music function (in many ways) as similar art forms for separate senses (visual vs. aural). They function on similar principals, music has a scale of 7 notes a-g with flats and sharps to add more interesting tonal relationships, and visual art has (depending on what color theory model used) 6 or so primary colors which are used in combinations to evoke emotional responses. Like in music, visual art has slowly developed a system of expectations and standards, like the blues 12-bar to pop music, there have slowly become consistent compositions, and visual tendencies that have developed throughout the history of art. My abstractions become explorations in a form of visual jazz. Jazz is conventionally instrumental, relying purely on the abstract language created by these musical systems and modes. Visual abstractions need to then rely on the abstract language created by visual systems, and for visual art, Instrumentalism is a painting without any "realistic" or phsycially recognizable imagery. IPMM: You say, "Abstraction puts people from different cultures and worlds on the same language." We definitely agree on some level, but do you think it might also be possible that our cultural understandings might affect how we each proportionalize meaning with respect to colors and shapes? I don't even know where the question is leading necessarily, I just had the thought that the color green might have connotations to someone that is doesn't to another someone...
BLee: In response to that, I say there are two perspectives that inform any person's emotional response to visual aesthetics. The first and most universal response is that of a human body reacting phsyically to the sensation of color, line, and the abstract elements of visual art. This reaction is based off of human anatomy. In my opinion, it's the existence of the 2nd perspective of visual response that creates such disparity between individuals. Why does RED more strongly denote "STOP" to the world as a whole. The color red is stronger in people's peripheral view than the color green is, so maybe it's a color that was picked because according to the human anatomy, it is more eye catching in the periphery. The 2nd perspective is then balanced off of the universal red that is based on the human anatomy, and is a perspective that is rooted in contemporary visual culture. I'm not putting a bias on either system, just acknowledging the source of our understanding of visual imagery as a complex combination of these two sources of influence. 
IPMM: Where do you see your creative trend angling towards? More abstraction or more specified cultural observations and color systems?
BLee: There is no direction in my art, only the desire to want to be better at expressing myself and mastering what I can do with a paint brush. If I was a chef abstraction, realism, color theory and subject matter all act as different genres of food and my goal is to just make great tasting food. When you limit your exploration of your medium to specific categories like subject matter, abstraction vs. realism etc., you limit your ability to master the medium. Art is the ability for a person to push a medium. Without the drive to want to explore the unexplored in art, all we are doing is circle jerking. IPMM: Touche brother... In addition to painting, you're also a curator and gallerist. If anyone reading this hasn't been to Hold Up Art in Little Tokyo, why should they stop by?
BLee: HUPA is for people who love art. If you want to learn more about art, and see what is happening in Los Angeles contemporary art, you should stop by. And byt he way, contemporary art isn't just the $1,000,000 british artists auctioning at Sotheby's - when you look at our artists and our cultural perspective, you'll be looking into what is happening with new generations of artists that will determine where we go from here. IPMM: What else do you have planned for 2012?
BLee: More murals, more painting, photography, sculpture, clothes and music. There just isn't enough time for life to be fully lived. IPMM: If people want to buy some of the paintings included in "Bleehouse", how would they go about doing so?
