Artist’s Note

JI MIN SUN

There are many symbolisms in Korean traditional folk paintings. You can see that this is a traditional painting when you understand the many symbolisms in it. For example, drawing peony blossoms means living in wealth and honor. Drawing a lotus symbolizes fertility. In South Korea many years ago, the elderly women embroidered lotus flowers on their traditional clothes called “hanbok”. The meaning of the painting could change when artists drew lotus flowers with other symbolic subjects. Therefore, combining A and B could create new meaning in the painting. These are very special meanings for my art work. I am very interested in the formula.

It is easy to convey the meaning when artists follow the pattern. But because these symbols are not always recognized, many people do not understand the high quality of the traditional paintings because of the similarities of character and patterns. They see the paintings as being too much the same. I like to follow the patterns, but I feel that I need to find new and creative ideas for my special art work. I want to express a unique formula to create new meaning in my painting. I really want to break the rule of formed modeling of traditional folk painting through my different point of view.

I dismantled the traditional folk drawing, “Minhwa” and redesigned it to add a new secret meaning for my art work within my art playground. This formula became my drawing style to express fantastic ideas. For example, I tried to express new meaning behind the tiger’s eyes in this piece of my art work. I enjoy an intuitive view to represent new interpretation through Korean folk painting-not ideological subjects. People do not need to necessarily understand the meaning of traditional folk painting.

They just enjoy viewing my art and creating their own feelings to connect to my work. In my formula, I see what I want in my mind and follow my brush to draw with my warm heart.

I am drawing the Korean traditional painting “Minhwa” in my country of South Korea. My hope is that I could draw it as a calling for my life forever.