Lee Price

Strawberry Shortcake III, oil on linen, 67 x 32 in.

Lemon Meringue, oil on linen, 72 x 32 in.

Asleep, oil on linen, 38 x 56 in.

Butter, oil on linen, 44 x 66 in.

Jelly Doughnuts, oil on linen, 64 x 40 in.

Cherry Cheesecake II, oil on linen, 68 x 28 in.

Snack, oil on linen, 40 x 52 in.

Full, oil on linen, 54 x 44 in.

About The Artist 

For Price, these large paintings have two main themes running through them.

“They get translated into different things but one issue I’m discussing is women’s issues with food and these are about women coming out of the closet with the eating and not hiding their appetite,” says Price. “The other thread in my painting comes in the more chaotic looking ones and these lean more towards discussing compulsive behavior.”

Price’s paintings also are meant to depict this compulsive behavior by showing people in what should be calm, comfortable moments that are instead, fraught with some anxiety about the presence of food.

“This comes from thinking about compulsive eating disorders and compulsive behavior and how people grasp at these behaviors to take them out of the uncomfortable situations they may be in,” explains Price. “They are tranquil settings, like bathtubs or beds, but when you look at them they are fairly chaotic.”

For Price, the of tranquility the moment is instead lost for the subject found in them.

“They have checked out of being present in the situation they are in,” says Price. “They can’t feel tranquility in the setting. They are distracting themselves. And, the overhead view also relates to a compulsive disorder because these disorders are like an out-of-body experience. You are watching yourself in the middle of this action but you can’t stop it. You’re conscious that you are doing it, but you can’t stop.” ( Evoke Contemporary )

Lee Price’s Website