Charcoal on paper

Charcoal on Paper

Charcoal on paper

Charcoal on paper

Charcoal on paper

Charcoal and yarn on paper

Acrylic on Canvas

A bluebird and a cage,

Korean bridal mask, wedding headpiece, and background

And, over the sea, abstract obstacles.

I expressed my journey toward finding happiness by borrowing motifs from the play The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck. The captivating bluebird in my painting symbolizes my fulfillment and joy in life. Other items scattered around the canvas convey my struggle to cope with my Korean identity in a foreign country by hiding it and eventually realizing that the bluebird was always on my shoulder.

Why did I cry about my empty cage?

Acrylic on canvas

The work was inspired by one of Marc Chagall's paintings.  I tried to put myself (symbolically and not in physical form) from a foreign country turning into the village I now live in.  Mother Earth hands me the branch that grows in me with golden branches and leaves and I become transformed and immersed into the village I tried to put myself (symbolically and not in physical form) from a foreign country turning into the village (Lake Oswego) I now live in.  Mother Earth hands me the branch that grows in me with golden branches and leaves and I become transformed and immersed into the village.  If you look at the hands, they are not the same.  The one touching my face is mine but the other hand is not.

Acrylic on canvas

Mix media

Before I called her name, she was nothing more than a gesture.

When I called her name, she came to me and became a flower.

Acrylic on canvas

Acrylic on canvas

Acrylic on canvas 

The feeling of the moment she got a letter from her lover. It is not even opened yet, but she is floating. Heavily textured by thick paint layers and beads.