Despite Personal Tragedy, Lisa Mee Continues To Bring “Class” To The World Of Fine Art

Lisa Mee with one of her popular paintings. Relevant Communications.

By Thomas Leturgey

Lisa Mee continues to find catharses in painting. It’s always been that way for the New York artist, but it has been an emotional challenge since the passing of her husband, iconic artist Wayne Ensrud late last year.

“We’d been together for a while,” she said in a telephone interview recently. “Thirty years.”

Despite that devastation, and some reflective time alone, then with friends and family, one can really feel Mee’s enthusiasm and zest for art and life. She continues to feel Ensrud’s presence any time she paints but uses that energy in a positive way. Mee will bring that earnestness and passion when she returns to Atlanta and the Fine Art Auction on May 17th 18th and 19^th to showcase 12 new paintings.

“It’s been a couple of years since I was there,” she said. “It’s Spring in Atlanta and they have all been so supportive over the years.”

Mee is bringing two larger—48” by 36”—paintings before the impeccable framing. Others will be 24” by 30” standard sizes. “They are good fits for everyone.”

Lisa Mee's Polka Dots and Moonbeams. Relevant Communications.

With rich surfaces and opulent textures, Mee’s paintings, bright and colorful, are instantly and remarkably recognizable. She also incorporates new papers, fabrics and other items in her painting. “Someone just told me then found a leaf in their painting,” she said. “It took three years, but it’s there.”

In addition to being illuminating, Mee finds that her paintings “shed light into the human psyche.” Whether the works are abstract or figurative, Lisa Mee’s works stand out. Her “Homage to Klimt’s Sleeping Figures is a perfect example of that work. In fact, it would be nearly impossible to not see Klimt’s influence in “Sleepings Figures,” especially “The Kiss.” Klimt was a big influence on Ensrud, as was his friend and mentor Oskar Kokoschka. And Ensrud motivated Mee, who also DaVinci’s works to be among the “most captivating.”

Mee’s “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” is another standout. The inspiration for that impressive work was a quick glance at a woman who simply walked by her one day. Mee got the flash of thought and quickly went to work. She often paints outside in the elements, and almost always with the likes of Tony Bennett and Joe Williams—who were both friends of Ensrud’s—wafts from nearby speakers. “I could talk about jazz for hours,” she continued. “Etta James, Cab Calloway and even Mel Torme.”

Much of it was influenced by Ensrud who she still “misses every moment of every day.” When he passed due to COVID last year (despite being fully vaccinated), Mee was set with countless messages from all over the world. “It moved me to tears.”

Mee's "The Allure of Marilyn." Relevant Communications.

Her return to the Fine Art Auction is a way to “reconnect” with the audience and her friends in Atlanta.

“Art elevates,” she says. It’s a sentiment she shares with longtime Fine Art Auction host Ray Taylor, who will soon celebrate 19 years hosting the weekend art spectacular.

Mee, whose mother was Korean and father Boston Irish, recently took a trip to Japan with her brother Alex and his family. “I will never be the same artist again,” she said. While there she was taken aback by the culture who consider it rude for people to talk on their cell phones in public. She found Japan “remarkably peaceful” and “intentionally disconnected.”

She visited the nearly 100-year-old Morita Washi paper company. “I was like a kid in a candy shop,” she said. Crafters there still make paper by hand. She was able to obtain some of the legendary paper and will work to integrate it into new works.

The creation of art runs through Mee’s blood. Her grandfather, Joseph Doherty, was a painter and photo engraver. And her mother was an architect. When she shared some of her mother’s work with Ensrud, he immediately recognized its importance to Mee’s work.

Taking influence from Japan, Mee will soon start work on some Cherry Blossom works and there’s always something else on the horizon.

“Lisa brings a real touch of class and is iconically representative,” said Mark Bronson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fitzhugh Holdings LLC, the parent company of America's Value Channel and the Fine Art Auction in Atlanta. “She is a passionate, strong artist.”

Bronson acknowledges that Mee copes with grief but her work as an artist never wavers. She and Ensrud have been frequent collaborators with the Fine Art Auction. The two headlined a VIP event in Palm Beach, Florida a few years ago that still resonates with art collectors.

“She always produces at a super high level,” he continues. “She is always spot on, which is one reason why she is so popular.”

Bronson confirms that for the first time, the Fine Art Auction audience will have an opportunity to buy prints of Lisa Mee’s work during her visit. Mee’s paintings are embellished with raised, metallic paint that make it difficult to replicate. “That will be very exciting,” he said.

Mee’s paintings are always bright. That’s an aspect of the work Bronson talks about with Fine Art Auction host Mitch Carter. “Colorful paintings appeal to over 90% of collectors,” Bronson adds. Some of the darker tones in art don’t have the same level of acceptance. “That’s why she is so consistent.”

Bronson equates Mee’s work to Fauvism, the French art movement from about 1905-1914 that showcased bold, vibrant colors and expressive brushwork. Think Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Maurice de Vlaminck.

Mee’s appearance is also special for another reason. Atlanta painter Ashley “Ash” Rader debuted on Monday, May 5 with four distinctive works of art. Mee’s appearance is just 12 days later. Rader was on for one day, whereas Mee with visit for three.

Mee, as well as Bronson are eager to share the new works with the global audience, beginning on May 17.