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ART
SCENE
Monica Lee’sminimalist monotone pencil art
breathes a whole new life into the local art scene
inMalaysia.
A
rt
comes in many different forms. It is not necessarily a massive instal-
lation in an open space or an oil painting that takes a year to complete.
Creating a piece of art is more about conveying an important message of
expressing feelings fromwithin. These are elements that Monica Lee has
been incorporating into her work. Pencil drawing may sound simple, but
looking at all the detailed perfections of Lee’s artwork, it is easy to forget that they are
all created with just one simple medium.
Life In Mono
Love of Drawing
“Ever since I was a child, I loved to
draw and wanted to become an artist. I
attended a local art college and majored
in 3D animation. To be honest, I was
really bad at drawing. Therefore, I did not
pursue a career in art until 2013, when
I started drawing again just for fun. I
realised I still love to draw. So, I quit my
job and started my journey as a full time
artist,” explains Lee about starting her
journey as an artist.
Prior to this, Lee was a digital imaging
artist for her father’s advertising photog-
raphy studio. For 12 years, she learned to
appreciate photography and art. Growing
up surrounded by beautiful photographs,
made the concept of photorealism and
details appeal to her. Lee mostly gets
her inspiration from her surroundings in
simple things that we sometimes fail to
appreciate in our fast paced society.
“I like the idea of using something as
simple as a pencil to create a piece of art.
Apart from that, black and white works
appeal tome. It gives the artwork a classic
feel. It also allows me to work at a super
slow speed compared to other artists.
Unfortunately, I’m not as productive as I
would like to be,” says Lee with a smile
on her face.
Gaining Momentum
Lee is greatly influenced by local artist,
Ahmad Zakii Anwar. She admires his
charcoal drawings. Aside from Ahmad
Noah Veraguth
Monica Lee