Jaesumin

I’ve always lived with one major decision: to live and regret or to regret not trying at all. With this decision in mind, I choose to step into the role of an artist by taking the risk and creating artwork that captures moments of everyday life, imaginative dreamscapes, and emotions. My approach to art includes the use of mixed media materials such as acrylic and watercolor paint, and the use of everyday materials such as pencil, pen, markers, and newspaper to emphasize a connection between everyday objects and the concepts I strive to represent through my art. These concepts include the use of art as a tool for healing through imaginative dreamscapes as a form of escape and visualization for an ideal world that I strive to live in consisting of positivity and inclusiveness. Additionally, through the use of color I create scenes that serve as a symbolic representation for emotions generally tied into specific colors rather than depicting them for the use of lighting and depth. I use colors such as yellow and white to be representative of positivity and lightness to create an angelic and comforting atmosphere amongst my work. My use of color also includes emotions of passion and anger through the use of vivid red tones that engulf the audience with the intensity of the color. In addition, my use of color includes the expression of sadness and loneliness through the use of dull blue hues and grays that create a desaturated scene. The most common themes in my work that are shown within this use of color include everyday scenes such as cityscapes and nature, imaginative dreamscapes, and detailed moments of stillness in everyday life. Looking back on my life, I have drawn and continue to draw inspiration from my personal struggles with mental health, dreams that occurred at night, music and adventurous travels.  As I faced day to day challenges with mental health as I struggled to use my voice to speak up, I turned towards art as a form of escape and began to create artwork depicting vivid scenes from dreams I wished to escape to. As I began drawing from my dreams, I began to wonder if these dreams could become a reality outside of my mind and something that I could truly experience. The more I began to rely on my art as an escape from the everyday struggles of life, I found comfort and healing within this form of escape as I travelled to various dreamscapes and destinations through my work. Every time I picked up a paint brush or mixed media material, it became a new adventure to me. This inspired me to begin traveling in person to new places and capture the adventures I once dreamed about before.  While on these adventures, I found myself lost in moments where time felt still, and I was surrounded by a slowness of life. During these moments I was able to pause and reflect on the sights, feelings, and energies around me and I became inspired to create work capturing these moments. More recently, I have become inspired by musical artists and the stories told behind their lyrics due to the way they are unafraid to express themselves through their work. Seeing these artists and hearing their lyrics motivates me to use my freedom in art as a form of exploration in using my voice to express myself. The process of my work begins with a rough conceptual sketch to visualize my end goal for the piece whether it be a cityscape drawing, dream-like scene made of newspaper, or a painting inspired by song lyrics. Then I gather the materials needed for the piece and work towards creating the finished product I envision. The art I produce is created to offer an insight to others about slowing down in the busiest of life and to take in those moments of stillness.