2025 October MOODs by Anita Lee and the Art of "E" Ian Edgington

Generational Art Duo at the FMAAA Art Center for October
A pair of artists will be sharing their talent with the community, exhibiting in the Main Gallery of the FMAAA Art Center in October. The duo is a grandmother and grandson, each sharing their perspective on art. Everyone is invited to attend the opening reception for MOODs: sculpture & painting by Anita Lee and The Art of E by Ian Edgington on Thursday, October 2 from 5pm to 7pm. The FMAAA Art Center is located at 825 Ave G in Fort Madison. The exhibition will be available for viewing October 2 – November 1, 2025, Tuesday through Saturday from 10am until 5pm. This exhibition is generously sponsored by Angela Sodey, FMAAA Board President.
Anita Lee says her joy in art is to capture mood. In turn, she hopes that each viewer can recognize and share the experience. Reflecting on what drew her to the arts, Anita Lee shares, “Bob Dylan said, ‘I was born very far from where I'm supposed to be, and so I'm on my way home’. Upon reading this, I recognized myself, but I had not accomplished what I meant to do. It was time for me to give life to this creative gift, no more dabbling.” Lee had done everything else that life dictated—marriage, family, education, job; she had even taken on portrait art to help with finances. After retirement she decided she now had the opportunity to focus, “… no more rabbit trails.” She immersed herself in creativity and began to develop herself more fully as an artist.
Lee explored painting and 2D work and began instructing classes. She acquired her own studio in the Villages of Van Buren and threw herself into her work, collaborating with others in the artistic community. Always alert and ready for a challenge, Lee began to contemplate more. "I was a painter that needed to break free from the 2D surface to fully express my ideas. Sculptures allow more freedom to reveal the figures to which I am drawn. I can explore the ideas they convey more fully in a dimensional study. I continue to paint, developing independent works that nevertheless speak in quiet conversation with the sculptures. Each informs the other and both media together reflect my artistic journey."
By age four Lee knew that art was going to be important to her. She was child number eight in a family of ten kids. She has early memories of visually assembling faces from patterns in flooring, wallpaper, ceilings, even dust and wanting to learn to draw them to give them form. Lee also remembers sitting the younger kids on the couch, “Mom would put the very large family Bible on my lap, and in the center of the book were pictures of paintings, drawings and statues by Renaissance masters.” She remembers saying, “Someday, I’m going to paint like that,” though she meandered through other creative pursuits before fully engaging with fine arts. Lee taught herself all facets of cosmetology and had clientele for 30 years, eventually turning her creativity towards event planning, weddings, photography, and other jobs that helped pay the bills. “Inside myself, I knew there was so much to catch up on in order to do art, but no opportunity was in sight,” Lee recalls, and turned herself towards writing novels and children’s stories. Still, it sparked something and character illustrations “…flooded from my pencil; sadly, all were still just in files as life continued to demand I focus myself elsewhere. Thankfully, I can now say, I am working in art. I work a little slower, but I see clearly the places and spaces I want to fill.” To this day, sometimes Lee sees unplanned shapes/faces within her art or backgrounds, like she did as a child. She has come to believe that the arts are a form of praise and acknowledgment of God who creates. She is careful to say this isn’t to be confused with religion, but rather “I believe in helping others to recognize their creative gifts, whatever that might be.”
With that in mind, she has begun an artistic collaboration with her grandson, Ian Edgington, commonly known as “E.” Ian is a high school student in FMHS. His art journey began at age 14. Like most kids, he dabbled in art in school and his grandmother, Anita Lee, encouraged him with opportunity at home, “I always included two of my grandkids in my art space. Chloe and Ian spent time in our home and at my studio. They both enjoyed art processes, but there wasn’t noticeable passion. Out of ten “grands” I hoped for at least one that had a true interest in art. It wasn't looking bright. Then at age 14, Ian was suddenly an artist...!”
Ian suddenly started drawing outlines of game and superhero characters and illustrations—perfectly! Within a few months he was using black paper backgrounds and through a system of drawing in white pencils or chalks he brought dimension with accuracy. In high school he began taking art classes and developed a circle of friends with the same interests. Ever encouraging, and an exercise in the social dimension of creative sharing, his grandmother Anita invited him to participate in this exhibit and he agreed. The family calls Ian, "E," so his title for his work is ...The Art of E. Ian hopes to continue learning the craft of character design while he focuses on completing high school.
Anita Lee lives and works creatively in Fort Madison, Iowa. After a long absence from the area, she returned in December 2022 with husband Larry and began tackling projects around their new home together—a sculpture garden, pergola, studio, wine & coffee cellar. They love to share their home with other creatives, friends and family. As a member artist and Board member of the Fort Madison Area Art Association, she is involved weekly at the FMAAA Art Center. She is committed to “reaching deep into community to ignite the understanding that the arts are vital and impact the health of the community. Simply inviting others to work side by side with a common focus on community is the heart of art. It’s the magic!”