Drawings from House 5B Inspection Scrolls

Materials: Ink on vellum
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches

During my residency, I made rubbings of eleven walls in House 5B in Nolan Park, to record evidence of the physical effects of water and other natural forces on them. From these documentary works, made of colored pencil on tracing paper, I developed drawings, made of ink on vellum, that bring forth the organic character of the transformation on the walls. On a different wall, I placed these drawings in relationship to the existing features of its surface, as shown in the photographs. These drawings are part of an ongoing project, Amateur Archaeology.

About the Artist

Deanna Lee was born in Putnam County, New York, to parents from China and Taiwan, and raised in suburban Boston. She grew up spending time in her mother’s biology lab and taking classical-music lessons on several instruments for 14 years. Comprising drawings, paintings, site-specific installations, and public artworks, her work interprets everyday traces of transformation in natural systems and the built environment. Numerous venues have shown her work, including Robert Henry Contemporary, Wave Hill, The Drawing Center, and Trestle Projects. Her public artworks include a mural on jersey barriers for the NYC Department of Transportation and a window installation in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Her honors include awards from: Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Asia Society, National Academy, Millay Colony, and Saltonstall Foundation. She lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.