“In my head I have an imaginary room with a large blank canvas. Things are happening there all the time – I’m sketching, drawing, painting, and sculpting. In my studio, day and night, I try to transfer those mental images onto a real canvas. So long as I can spend time in these two rooms every day, I am a very happy artist.” ‍ ‍

Artist Statement  

My artwork reflects my deep fascination with both Mother Nature and Human Nature, so the combination of these subject matters is often expressed in my artwork. I enjoy portraying both the physical essence and the emotional content of the two worlds, highlighting the contrast between apparent peace and tranquility on one side and evident chaos and disturbance on the other. These physical and emotional conflicts, portrayed in my art, also reflect my personal struggle as an immigrant woman impacted by Western influences on my Oriental traditions. My artwork references traditional Korean motifs, yet my focus on abstraction and the richness of colour and texture is rooted firmly in Western culture. 

To emphasize my perceptions of harmony and discord, colours, lines, and textures play very important roles in my art. Colours always bring out the mood—the raw emotions that I feel deeply based on what I see, what I hear, and what I read. Lines help me to visualize the movement of physical and emotional energies that I perceive. Textures bring into focus for me the connections between the physical world and my emotional world. 

Much of my effort is invested in the abstract aspects of my artwork because for me it is more important to focus on expressing the inner emotions rather than representing in any realistic way the obvious outer physical forms. Trying to interpret and express each moment of profound and heartfelt understanding when physical worlds and emotional forces come together is the fundamental goal of my art.

Biography

JungHee Lee-Marles is a mixed media artist residing in Ottawa. She was born in Seoul, South Korea. Having an interest in drawing and painting from an early age, she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Education degree (major in oil painting, minor in sculpture). She taught high school art classes while pursuing studies toward a graduate fine arts degree, Later, she moved to Chicago, where she obtained her Master of Arts degree in Education. In 1988, she immigrated to Canada. Since then, she has lived in Hull QC, Brandon MB, and Sevenoaks UK, and has travelled in Europe and across Canada and the U.S. 

While living in Manitoba, she was an active member of the art community for 10 years, working as an art instructor and gallery assistant at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, as artist-in-residence at several schools, and served the Manitoba Arts Council as a juror. In 1997, she was formally mentored for a year by internationally renowned Canadian artist Wanda Koop, through the Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art Advisory Program. A recipient of Manitoba Government art grants, JungHee had many solo exhibitions and participated in numerous juried group exhibitions, receiving several awards. 

Living in Ottawa since 2003, she has been awarded five solo exhibitions through the City of Ottawa Community Galleries Program. Also, her work has been funded by the Ontario Arts Council for a solo exhibition at the Rotunda Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario, and for a group show at the Colorida Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal. She has participated in many other juried group exhibitions in the Ottawa region, Toronto, and New York City. and received several awards. Her works are held in the Government of Manitoba Art Collection, Kang Won University Art Collection (South Korea), and in private collections across Canada, the United States and overseas. 

A new member of OSA, so far this year her work has been selected for the “Through Artist Eyes” OSA 2026 Open Juried Exhibition. 

While she continues creating and exhibiting her artworks through solo and group shows, she is also actively participating and volunteering as board and committee members for numerous local art groups.