Opportunity knocks for animal inspired artist

Kim Yeon-seok, a specialist in animal portraits, poses with his oil paint works at his studio in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province in this undated file photo. / Courtesy of Kim Yeon-seok

By Yi Whan-woo

With an increasing number of pet lovers in Korea, Kim Yeon-seok’s talent and passion for his job as an animal portrait artist is paying off, even in this age of digital reproduction.

Since 2011, Kim, 54, works as a professional artist dedicated to drawing pets on canvas using oil paints. Before this, he worked as an artist part-time, usually drawing pine trees and bulls.

The decision to go full time was not easy, considering that people are now used to photos and video clips that are copied, pasted, and shared online in the blink of an eye, Kim recalled during a telephone interview with The Korea Times this month.

But at the same time, people’s desire to capture unique memories with their pets is becoming more and more commonplace. As a result, animal portraits using conventional forms of painting are growing in popularity, he explained.

“I think this is only the beginning,” he said.

Kim, who runs a studio in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has painted 300 pieces over the past four years.

“Not many young people are interested in learning oil painting as I did; instead they are interested in digital art, such as graphic design,” he said.

“It has made me prominent in this field because there are limited numbers of conventional painters, while more pet lovers are willing to spend money to build unique memories with their animals.”

“They prefer conventional forms of painting over digital art because it is original, genuine, and the paintings make them feel that their pets are special,” Kim added.

The artist said he takes several snapshots of a pet before drawing its portrait to observe and find its unique characteristics.

He pays close attention to the eyes of an animal because they show its facial expression, mood and feelings best.

Kim, who raises a mongrel, emphasized the importance of painting animals “as cute and lovely as possible,” claiming such efforts will help people stop abandoning their pets.

He said he has been donating some of his works to Korea Animal Rights Advocates, a civic group in Seoul that fights against animal abuse and cruelty.

With an entrepreneurial spirit, he has also reproduced his art to sell goods for pet lovers, such as T-shirts, mugs and cushions. In collaboration with his partner companies, he wants to sell his products through Alibaba, the giant online shopping mall based in China.

“I plan to donate a portion of our business sales to animal charities and I hope the business goes well,” Kim said.