LEE STEELE
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Born in Whitby, North Yorkshire, my career has taken a diverse path over the years, from working on North Sea oil rigs, to the field of therapeutic arts, where I had the opportunity to practise in secure psychiatric settings, supporting individuals through creative expression and hands-on work.
I studied 3D design at York College which laid a strong foundation for my artistic journey, deepening my understanding of form, structure and materials. Eventually, I settled in East Yorkshire, where I established my ceramics practice and have had the privilege of running my own teaching studio for the past 13 years. This has allowed me not only to develop my own artistic voice but also to share my passion for ceramics with others, fostering creativity and confidence in learners from all walks of life. |
My current work is a responce to the fragile edges of the coastline and to the traces left by industrial labour across northern England. The collapsing cliffs, rusting structures, working harbours, refineries, rigs and remnants of manufacture all inform the surfaces, forms and atmosphere of the pieces which sit somewhere between functional object, sculpture, and archaeological artefact.
My work focuses on the silent stories told by erosion, transformation and renewal as time and the elements transform and alter the materials and structural forms associated with industry and landscape.
My work focuses on the silent stories told by erosion, transformation and renewal as time and the elements transform and alter the materials and structural forms associated with industry and landscape.
Exhibitions include -
May/June 2026 - Fruit Factory Guild exhibition - Humber Street Gallery, Hull
November 2023 - Brynmor Jones East Riding Artists Exhibition – Brynmor Jones Library Art gallery, University of Hull
September 2021 - Abstract – Fronteer Gallery, Exchange Street, Sheffield, England
August 2021 - Contemporary Open Call - The Boomer Gallery, Tooley Street, London. England
August 2019 - Oil & Rust - Castle Douglas Art Gallery, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland
October 2018 - Lisbon International Contemporary Exhibition 2018, Atelier Natalia Gromicho, Lisbon, Portugal
July 2018 - Sculpture & Ceramics Exhibition, 5th Edition, The Royal Opera Arcade Gallery & La Galleria Pall Mall, London
2017 - Offenhauslive – International On-line Exhibition, Annual Summer Exhibition
2017 - A Baker’s Dozen – Ceramics & Sculpture from 13 Selected Makers, Art in the Mill, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
2016 - Inspirations – Visual Communication between 8 Artists, The Gallery on the Wolds, Bainton, East Yorkshire
2015 - Land Meets Water, Pop Gallery, Kingston-upon-Hull, East Yorkshire
Collections -
Lincoln Museum, Lincoln, England
Towcester Museum, Northamptonshire, England
Benningbrough Hall, North Yorkshire, England
National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
National Museum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Works held in private collections in United Kingdom and Norway
