The Huntington Museum of Art will welcome Patrick Lee as a Walter Gropius Master Artist during a free public presentation Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.

The exhibit, “Deadly Friends,” by Lee will continue to be on display at the HMA through Dec. 30. Lee will also present a three-day workshop at HMA titled “Drawing Realism” Oct. 14-16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lee is internationally recognized for his ongoing exhibit, “Deadly Friends.” The exhibit includes graphite portrait drawings of Los Angeles gang members.

Lee approaches his subjects on the streets of Southern California and, after gaining a mutual trust and a friendly relationship, he photographs them as studies for his drawings. The museum has a video about the artist approaching these individuals in the exhibit.

“These are people that if you or I were to run into them onto the street, we would be inclined to turn the other way,” John Farley, preparator and assistant curator at the museum, said. “Patrick Lee is telling us that these are individuals who have humanity. They are more than skin deep and there is more going on there than simply a scary appearance, offensive tattoos or a culture that seems to be more about intimidation.”

Each piece is hand drawn and can take over several months to recreate accurate detail of all of the characteristics of the subject, including muscles, pores, scars, tattoos and facial hair.

“For these guys, obviously, intimidating characteristics is the name of the game,” Farley said. “Not only has Patrick Lee made the approach and made that relationship happen, he then gives us this relic of that to then approach on our own terms and have our own conversation with these drawings.”

Whitney Justice, a junior early childhood education major at Marshall University, observed the exhibit last Tuesday.

“It was easy to connect with, but also overwhelming,” Justice said. “You could almost see their struggles.”

All of the works in this exhibit are at the museum courtesy of the Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe art gallery in New York.

For the workshop, there is a $325 fee for non-members of the museum, $275 for members, $250 for teachers and $200 for students. This fee includes a meet-and-greet with the artist, first day breakfast and a daily lunch. Scholarships are available for students and others who may be in financial need to be able to attend the workshops.

Krislyn Holden can be contacted at [email protected].