Door County Artist Reception and Benefit at Mr. Helsinki

Mr. Helsinki Restaurant and Wine Bar will be hosting an artist reception on Thursday, October 9 from 6 – 8 pm for Ellison Bay resident Jennifer Lee. Hors d’ouevres will be served and Mr. Helsinki’s full menu will be available.

A Door County resident for six years, Jennifer Lee moved to the area to explore a newfound passion for painting. Jennifer appreciates the enthusiasm, guidance and support in the local arts community.

“Her work shows a unique and intuitive approach that continues to evolve. Each time I see it, I’m surprised to see how she has reinvented her style,” says Franne Dickinson, Lee’s grandmother and artist mentor.

“I am inspired by courage, humor, and resiliency of spirit, and I use this as an emotional foundation for the work,” says Lee, who often paints straight from the tube onto a blank canvas without an initial intention of what the piece will come to be. Her work depicts vibrant abstract figures and symbols that seem to “play on the canvas.”

“I haven’t yet done figure drawing from models because the people in my imagination are so much fun for me,” she says. “My friends and family often joke that I’m drawing them secretly and using their figures in my paintings.”

In conjunction with Lee’s reception the night will also be a fund-raising night for the Wellness Center of Door County, located in Sturgeon Bay, where Lee and Mr. Helsinki owner Chris Cote are both board members. Mr. Helsinki will be donating a portion of the evening’s revenues to the Wellness Center and guests are invited to make individual donations as well.

The Wellness Center of Door County is a non-profit clinic whose mission is to provide affordable and confidential sexual, reproductive and related health care for men and women in an educational environment that respects the dignity and choices of each person. Other board members, as well as executive director Michelle Geiger-Bronsky, will be in attendance to meet and talk with guests about the center.