‘The happier I am, the more colours I use; colour has a deep relationship with memory. In the process of repeating, you understand yourself.’
Artist: 김정민 / Kim Jeong Min
Artistic style: Colourful paintings inspired by the harmony of nature
Biggest artistic influence: Gustave Klimt and Claude Monet.
Kim uses her art to create a healing space based on internal experience and visual memory in my daily life. When she first started to paint, it was as a means of overcoming symptoms from medication in the form of a tremor. Kim talks to me candidly about her health issues, and the side effects from the medication she took as part of the treatment, which had an effect on her nervous system. She describes the hand tremor that developed, as being something which made it impossible for her to carry out daily tasks, even simple things such as holding a spoon, answering the phone, cooking, grabbing a brush or any materials to draw, and even drinking water. Kim started by teaching herself a way which allowed her to use her tremor to her advantage, through drawing bamboo leaves and orchids and she found that this process of drawing had therapeutic effects. But, fortunately, Kim overcome this challenge without any change to her personality and now she feels empowered by new emotions and a revived attitude toward life, something which has had an impact on her artistic style.
Kim’s artistic profile on the Korean Art London website describes the process that followed as one which allowed her to develop “a style far removed from the rapid stroke of the traditional calligrapher’s brush. In her paintings, layers of pigment are meticulously built up, the repetitive action becoming a meditative process as she finds herself ‘seeping into the forest.’
Artistic style and influences
Kim’s artwork evolved into somewhere she would draw and place memories of happiness and other positive emotions to rely on in times where her daily life has felt mundane or to help her mind when she got hurt by other people. Kim describes her biggest influence was being her mother, Ji Yeun Hong, who participated in KAL with her, and how she grew up with observing her mother drawing and painting.
Other artistic influences that inspire Kim include Gustave Klimt and Claude Monet. In particular, Kim says that she has loved Klimt’s drawing style, especially ‘The Tree of Life’, since she was 15 years old, the time when she started to create her artwork with the theme of mutual response of love. Kim became fascinated with Monet’s work when she saw ‘The Artist’s Garden at Giverny’ and ‘The Water Lilies’ series at Orangeries in Paris, simply stating that she “felt the beauty and simplicity of nature, and interaction and healing”, something which can also be felt in her own artwork.
What’s your dream project?
I’m interested in Korean style material, drawing style and national heritage. So I’m planning to draw a eight-piece folding screen piece, with my healing spaces (connected but not the same).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?
Do not draw what the gallery wants; don’t follow the fashion, just be yourself. One day, people will recognize your works.
When you start new pieces, what does your creative process look like? Do you plan each piece out before you start, or do you let the piece come to life as you go?
Before I start my new work, my base is a sketch of what just popped up in my brain during my daily life. A colour palette and details are changed during the work process since I don’t draw a detailed sketch of my work.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
I stop the process for a while. I can figure it out smoothly when I stop it and go for a rest and do some household chores.
Do you have a favourite piece of art that you’ve created?7
‘Soak in the Forest’ (80x194cm).
This work is not on display as part of this fair, but I would like to show it to the audience.
Note to reader: ‘Soak in the Forest’ is the work of art which Kim describes as being the art which someone has reacted to in a way that left a lasting impression with her – the viewer saying that the piece is ‘so fantastic, I can feel the sound of leaves crossing because of breeze, and the scent of forest after the rain when I keep looking into the work’ — I would agree with him/her. That’s exactly how I feel when I look at it.
Do you have any tips for other artists who are just starting out?
Put everything from your mind. If it is difficult to express yourself in art, just start like you are writing your diary. Just love yourself.
What do you hope people take away from your artwork?
You need to rest when you are tired. Please pause your daily life and look into it. Look at the sky, listen to what birds say, breathe the air, and just feel it. The emotions that the audience might feel when they look into the work, would be probably different depending on their backgrounds. The happiness is up to my mind. Talking with people, taking a walk… every daily life can be extraordinary. Please see my work when you are paused. I hope everyone could happy and healthy.
Faye’s comments
Kim’s art is really, really beautiful. The colours are incredible. They show up well enough in the photographs that are available in the press images, but there is nothing quite like seeing them before your own eyes. I particularly liked ‘Night Rest’, which I would genuinely purchase if my finances would allow me to — I adore everything about it. It’s bold, bright, and playful but also really, really peaceful.
‘Happiness’ is also equally brilliant 🙂
The artist can be found and followed on Instagram @kjjungmin_art