Plating Study 05 is a piece of colorful abstract art in which one confident gesture takes centre stage.
A broad sweep of electric and cobalt blue travels from the lower-left towards the upper-right corner. Its visible painted strokes and scattered edges give the image a sense of speed, while the surrounding ivory background allows the colour to stand out.
Two smaller arrangements provide the counterbalance. In the upper-left, a mustard-yellow triangular form with a black circular centre overlaps a rust-red shape. At the opposite corner, turquoise and coral forms intersect with dark angular lines. Scattered white, red and ochre marks connect the different areas without filling every available space.
There’s something appealing about the simplicity of it. One large movement, two smaller points of interest, and enough space for everything to work together.
A Different Kind of Sketchbook
Long before these became a collection of paintings, they were ideas scribbled down by a chef thinking about what might look good on a plate.
During his Michelin-starred restaurant years, Lee spent a great deal of time considering presentation. Not simply where to put the food, but how individual elements worked together visually.
On days off, some of those ideas took a different direction. Paint replaced ingredients, the canvas replaced the plate, and there was usually a beer somewhere nearby.
The resulting Plating Studies weren’t intended to illustrate food. They became five independent abstract compositions, each retaining something of that original interest in colour, placement and balance.
Plating Study 05 is perhaps the most straightforward expression of that idea: a handful of shapes, one sweeping gesture, and knowing when to leave the rest alone.
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