Painting forests of hopes, dreams

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Colorful dots congregate to create forests, on display at artist Kim Soup’s 15th solo exhibition at Gallery I in Nakwon-dong, central Seoul.

Not a single forest is the same — they are all from different places and time.

Some paintings reflect snow-covered trees in winter, while others depict flowers blooming in springtime or autumn foliage.

“It’s always a forest, but a new one,” Kim said in an interview at the gallery Tuesday.

She changed her name from Kim Myung-sook to Kim Soup.

“My original name was too common and there are many people with the same name. I have used the name for decades, but I thought it is time for a new start,” the painter said.

Her new name “soup” is the Chinese character for learning.

“The name refers to my endless pursuit of learning,” she said. It is also pronounced similarly to the Korean word for forest, reflecting her deep affection to the main object of her paintings.

When observed closely, Kim’s paintings glitter softly. The sparkle comes from the rock powder she uses.

It takes much endeavor to complete Kim’s work.

She pastes finely-ground rock powder onto Korean traditional paper, giving depth and dimension to the work. When it dries, she crinkles it to create cracks and applies “meok,” or Korean ink, to the back of the paper, oozing it out through the crevasses. After doing so, she places the thin sheet of paper onto a canvas and repeats the steps until she finds her forest on it.

Kim majored in Eastern painting, but also studied abstract painting and such experience led her to the forest theme.

“I liked the way dots create lines and surfaces,” she said. “However, being passionate was not everything. I did my best and drafted over and over, but the result was not always satisfying.”

She found her meaning of life in the forest.

“Forests welcome everything — they are full of life, dreams and hope. It is joyous to paint such vital power,” Kim said. “I am just so glad that I can paint forests in my own unique way.”

Kim participated in artbygeneve, an art fair held in Geneva, Switzerland, in April and May.

“My work was one of the first to be sold. It was thrilling and gave me motivation to create more and more,” she said.

After wrapping up the Seoul exhibition on June 6, the paintings will travel to the southern city of Daegu at Bongsung Gallery from June 13 to 17.

For more information visit www.egalleryi.co.kr or call (02) 733-3695.