Artist Statement

My work is inspired by the natural- that which is rampant, uncontrolled. The natural world remains both simple and complex, both tranquil and hostile, both pure and unchaste, both perfect and flawed. The natural is an evolution, both in landscape and humanity. It is a circle of life that has continuous paths joining each other yet wandering astray at the same moment.

Having grown up in Korea, my memories of the farmland, ever so important to the strength of the people remain vivid to me. Having moved to the Maryland area 22 years ago, the land and water around me still form a bond of past to present with daily landscapes reminiscent of past memories. In conjunction with past and present connection is my medium choice. Representing the strength and historical tradition of the Korean culture, I find Hanji paper to be the most resilient and best accepting of Sumi ink. Sumi ink and Hanji paper are definite Korean traditions as the layers of translucent ink on the textured Hanji paper build stories of life and culture. Many of my works combine the traditions with my present Annapolis landscapes.

Rather than replicate a realistic scene, I am comforted by the ambiguity that emotions allow the abstract to render. I aim to create the everyday, the unmentioned, the scenes that are rarely appreciated. My pieces are a story unfolded as though time has elapsed on one image. Each detail, each brushmark, is of a specific detail of the past or of the present. As if wandering through a dream, my images are spaced leaving plenty of room to continue dreaming. There is no focal point, no beginning, no end. Each piece delivers its own tale of continuous time.

Nature's Ensemble 1, 2012