Kim Myung-sook forages for strength in painted forests

By Ines Min

``A forest is tens of thousands, tens of millions of things. It’s warm, natural, wise.’’

Painter Kim Forest (real name Kim Myung-sook) continues on a journey to explore the depths of wooded nature with her 14th solo exhibition at Gallery Violet, Insa-dong, through Jan. 18.

Known for her meticulously layered techniques, Kim uses a combination of traditional Korean elements and originality to create textured 3D works in impressing shades of red, green and white.

Step one: Mix finely-ground rock powder with dyes to create a roughened landscape on traditional ``jangji’’ (Korean paper).

Step two: Crinkle and warp the dried material to create cracks, crevices and creases.

Step three: Carefully splatter ``meok’’ (Korean ink) onto the back of the paper, adding levels of color intensity.

``You have to splash the meok from the back, for it to be subdued and look natural,’’ Kim told The Korea Times in an interview at the gallery, Tuesday. ``I tried it other ways, but this is the best way.’’

Kim majored in Eastern painting, but has spent the majority of her artistic career focused on forests.

Although she originally began with landscapes, a natural inclination led her toward the majestic collections of trees, finding a maternal enchantment within.

``I just like forests... there are many things people can do for their art,’’ she said. ``But a forest is a place a person can go into, be surrounded and it rejects nothing.’’

The intricacy of her work is versatile in effect, with the art appearing simultaneously as abstract optical illusions (a result of the raised abrasions of the paper combined with the repetition of the colors) and also wholly realistic forests (the inclusion of spindly trunks give the effect of being right in the thick of it).

Other times, fields of flowers can be seen among the color patchwork, moving from season to season: the lush green of deep summer, blazing red oranges of autumn, stark white of winter, the fresh verdurous spring.

The process is a lengthy one. The moistened jangji can take weeks to dry, Kim said, and work on a piece can be anywhere up to a year. But as laborious as the works are, Kim is highly prolific.

A regiment of frequent exhibitions, swift conversation and a quick-paced stride keeps her moving throughout. The rapid ― but never hurried ― speed of life is what enables her to balance her multiple responsibilities: Kim is the director of the Korean Fine Arts Association and also part of the Nowon Fine Arts and Mother Nature associations.

While she has participated in numerous group exhibitions, Kim continues pioneering her own path, and she is making her debut at a Geneva gallery in late May. Previous shows in Paris have proven her success overseas, but the artist’s goal is to reach that Mecca of creative minds: New York.

``It’s my hope to go to New York and show in a major gallery there,’’ Kim said, adding that gaining constructive criticism from her peers in the American city would be invaluable to her.

Though her forests carry universal themes, they are still, at heart, based on Korean values and principles. From the paper base to the meok ink, Kim makes sure to represent her native land in her creations (just as she hopes to portray her main focus via her eponymous artist’s name).

``I want to show the beauty of Korea,’’ she said. She’s hoping to incorporate a larger role for the traditional ink in her future work, shifting the balance to shed greater light on the local materials and her own history.

``Creating my artwork is fun. Even when I have to pull all-nighters and even if I died, at least it would be while working with my hands,’’ Kim said. ``I could die happy.’’

Gallery Violet is located near exit 6 of Anguk Station, subway line 3. For more information, call (02) 722-9654.