What is your favourite time of day to find inspiration for your paintings, surrounded by nature that inspires you?
My favourite time for inspiration is in the morning. Around 8 a.m. is a great time for inspiration.
What makes your works so profound and personal? How does abstraction allow you to convey emotions without fully revealing your self?
My work is personal because abstraction allows me to focus completely on myself and if I can focus completely on myself, with or without revealing myself, it allows me to convey emotions.
Among the many compliments you have received throughout your artistic career, is there one word in particular that has struck you and left an indelible mark?
The words that resonate with me are those I heard 35 years ago when I was told that it takes a thousand practices to perfect a painting, and they still resonate with me today.
Your passion for nature is beautifully reflected in your paintings. How do you select and calibrate colours to create the unique harmony that defines your art?
Yes, you are right, nature teaches me a lot and inspires me, and when I calibrate colours to create a unique blend, a good concentration on each screen helps me get the colours I need and calibrate them. When I make a painting, I find it beautiful to see the stages of its development on the canvas, through my attention to the canvas and to myself at all times. The experience of my paintings is heaven and hell. When you make a painting, you experience heaven when it comes out as you intended and hell when it does not work as you intended. So when you make a painting, you experience beauty, heaven and hell.
What does contemporary art mean to you?
Modern art refers to the art of the second half of the 20th century. It was created together with avant-garde art movements such as Dadaism and the Bauhaus. The theme of my contemporary art is the continuous exploration of myself and its translation into works of art.
What is the essence of artistic creation for you?
A creative activity such as art is a combination of ideas and expression, an artistic process of creating something in the real world through the combination of ideas and expression.
What fundamental human messages underpin your artistic production?
The basic human message behind my artwork is free.
Do the colours and brushstrokes you use reflect your mood or emotional state of the moment?
The colours and brush strokes I use reflect my mood or emotional state at the moment.
Can you tell us how and when you decided to pursue a career in art?
When my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied that I wanted to be a painter since I was about 10 years old. Even as a child, I had a good ability to describe things when I drew them.
Where do you prefer to paint? If you wish, please briefly describe your studio.
I used to draw on paper, on canvas and now I prefer to draw on canvas. My studio is not big and I prefer to keep it tidy and organised.
Do you consider yourself an abstract painter? If yes, what does abstraction represent for you?
Abstraction is a good field to express what you want, nothing more, nothing less.
How do you create your works? Do you plan with a specific project in mind or do you act impulsively according to your emotions?
I make plans with a specific project in mind. Sometimes my work is planned, other times it is impulsive, based on emotion.
In some of your works, there almost seems to be something hidden under a ‘blanket’ of vibrant colours: blurred landscapes, indistinct shapes. Is there a meaning behind this effect?
My works seem to have something hidden, like an unclear shape. I like to create this effect.
Interview by Barbara Trevisan
translation from korean
