Love Her Madly

Don't just love her.
Love her madly.

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I've got an angel
She doesn't wear any wings
She wears a heart that can melt my own
She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing
She gives me presents
With her presence alone
She gives me everything I could wish for
She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

— Jack Johnson

Yellow Stripes on Gray

It was by accident that she stumbled upon the yellow stripes again.
From afar she could still make them out ...
Moving familiarly in the syrupy dark lit by twinkle lights.
Still stitched on gray ...

Yellow stripes on gray.
Never and forever.
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The world has its ways
to quiet us down
The world has its ways
to quiet us down comes the rain
But down comes the strength
to lift us up and then ...
—Jack Johnson

Papercutting Tutorial

I've been doing some papercutting lately. It's so fun and easeir than I thought. Just takes some patience is all.

For this project, I used a small paintbrush and sumi ink to write the word "love" onto a book page. I made sure that all the letters were connected to each other so that when I cut it out, the letters would all be connected. Then I taped that page onto a piece of sheet music. I placed the layers of paper onto a self-healing mat and then very carefully, used my sharp craft knife to cut the word out.

So here's what the book page looks like once the cutting is done. So cute, right?


But what's also cool is that because I placed a layer of sheet music beneath the book page, I end up with two sets of cut-outs that I can use in my artwork.

Here's what I did with one of the pieces ... I added it to one of my art journal pages. So happy with how the page looks with the addition.
And onto a different art journal page this cut piece goes ... just a beginning. It'll evolve more from here I'm sure.
Easy peasy.

Happy crafting. :)

Expressions on Canvas

The question of who I am has been on my mind as I have been working on my canvases for the upcoming October 6th show with my painting colleagues.

Who I am ... at least as represented by these canvases is: minimalist, lover of fibers, Korean, lover of music, explorer of melancholy ...

I've completed 4 canvases and I have a few more in progress that I hope will be finished by the October show.


Aside from exploring and expressing who I am, I've been guided by the concept of jeung which has become my muse ... and am happy to see it expressed in all of these pieces.
I've also been able to explore positive and negative space with these works, which is endlessly fascinating to me.

The process of making this collection has been empowering because I feel that I am authentically represented it. This is who I am ... scars, wounds, and all.
Korean words and fibers are my roots. And as they interface with paints and canvases, I am struck by how emotional it is to examine who I am, where I come from, how I was raised, what I experience, and where I am going.

I look forward to continuing this process of exploring, expressing, and sharing.

If you're able, I hope to see you at Studio CRESCENDOh on Saturday October 6th for art, music, wine, conversation, and friendship.

To art.

Altered Papier Mache Houdstooth Love Box Tutorial

Love houndstooth, don't you?

To start, I took a round papier mache box and painted the top of the lid with a pink acrylic marker by Montana. Read my review of these awesome markers here.

Next, I adhered houndstooth-patterned Duck tape to the bottom portion of the box.

I took another strip of the tape, and attached one end to the other to make a ring.


Then I flattened that ring so that it would stick to itself.

I used this tape to cut out letters that I glued to the top of the lid.

And I also painted the edge of the lid with a green acrylic marker by Montana.

To finish, I glued the cut-out tape letters to teh top of the box and added doodles with a fine-point black pen.

Happy crafting. :)

Studio Explorations :: Watermelon Applause

Studio Explorations :: Watermelon Applause

This journal page was inspired by the watermelon from last night. It was so sweet, so cold, and so good. So good there was no need to take it from the sink to the table. Over the sink I started eating it ... and before I knew it, the whole family joined in ... all of us hovering over the sink, devouring the perfect specimen of this summer fruit.

To paint it, I started with a bit of pink paint for the flesh. I used a sponge brush to paint a half circle shape.

Then I used a light blue paint to paint the rind.

Too light blue. So I added a bit of darker green.

Much better once blended.

And for the seeds, sumi ink with a small watercolor brush.

In Korean, watermelon = 수박 (say: soo bahk).

Interestingly, applause = 박수 (say: bahk soo).

I thought it was funny as I started writing 수박 수박 수박 ... it became a mishmash of watermelon and applause.

Well, the watermelon that we ate last night ... it was so good that it did deserve applause.

To summer.
To restless late nights.
To sweet summer fruit devoured over the sink
To everything good deserving of appluase.

Studio Explorations :: Algea Becoming

Studio Explorations :: Algea Becoming

For this exploration, I turned to page e3 of The Art of Instruction for my inspiration. A page with illustrations of freshwater algea.

I started by making an oval with a fine-point black marker and then used a stencil to add some color and pattern into the oval.

Then I shaded the outer edge with a pencil and then added the little spikey hairy elements with strokes of Sumi ink and a very thin watercolor brush.

I added a wash of gray watercolor to the background. I know that some people don't like gray because it's so ... well ... gray and a bit gloomy. I don't mind it. I actually love it. It's one of my favorite colors.

And then I added some more doodles with sumi ink and then lettering and some marks with a splash of color.

I like this shot below because I think the road to becoming is all about being effortless about it. We just have to be. Let it happen. And when we least expect it, we become because we have learned to be.

Studio Explorations :: The What and the Why

This journal page was inspired by the concept of friendship.
In Korean, friend is 친구 (pronounced "chingoo").

I started by putting down some acrylic paints onto a journal page.

Then I took my sumi ink and a thin paintbrush and started to write the first part of the word which is 친 (chin). You start first with the horizontal stroke, connected to the diagonal stroke, and the top vertical stroke.

Then it's the short diagonal stroke next to the first diagonal stroke, then the very long vertical stroke at the right.

Then you complete 친 by adding the lower down stroke connected to the vertical stroke. Then you start the first part of the word 구 (goo) with a horizontal stroke connected to the downstroke. (Stay with me.)

And then finally, you end with a horizontal stroke and a vertical stroke. All done.

Then I reached for some of my very favorite pens to add some doodles. I've realized that I like drawing this foliage. Not sure where it came from but I love it. Simple. Vine-like. Pretty.

Then splashes of color and more marks including the silhouette of a turtle to surround the word. I like turtles, as you may know.

As I was finishing up the page, I was thinking about the friends in my life. The ones who understand me. Who get me. Who understand the what and the why of me ... in good times and in bad. They are the ones who say "I know. I know. You're ok. You'll be ok." They will listen to the what and the why but they really don't need the gorey details to understand. They just do.

That's because friends understand the nuances of one another ... built over time ... with jeung ... with love ... with forgiveness ... with a deep, deep knowing ... with respect.

Studio Explorations :: Rolling in the Deep

This art journal entry was inspired by the genius of Adele.
Sometimes ... when I listen to her lyrics and music ... I journey to a wondrous place ... a place that uncovers places of my heart that open up, make me remember, make me imagine.

Looks complex ... but it didn't start out that way.

The entry started out rather simply.
With a carved tear drop stamped on a page, with a piece of washi tape at the bottom.

And then I added stitching to the first tear drop.

Then the second ...

Then the third ...

And then the final.

And then I decided to add some drama with gray paint.

And then added words upon words upon words.

Falling.
Rolling.
Falling.
Rolling in the deep.

Studio Explorations :: What Will Be Will Be

Studio Explorations

When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be famous, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

For this exploration, I took the last bit of the coffee from my French press and used it to make some rings in my journal.

After looking at the rings, my reaction was to cut circles from a stack of Korean newspapers and to glue them to the spread.

Then my reaction was to add some text and lines in pencil and to add strips of washi tape here and there.

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be will be