READINGS / JAPAN CINEMA in 2013

1. What is the biggest challenge when creating architectural landmarks? Is it an issue of scale or accuracy?

It is the balance between the whole shape by water bleeding effects and the space. Only after make that beautifully, I can try to bring myself to do detailed descriptions. Once I get started to carving lines on it, just remind me that I am not in an architectural drawing competition. There is no need to be sketched in perfect ratio and perspective and I always focus on showing my feelings through the common architectural features. Most of buildings have some repetitive structure like windows, roofs or decorations. In a way I thought that I should show people different view of buildings from what photos do. The only purpose to leave spaces and unfinished details is for dragging into imagination of viewers like the beauty of space in oriental painting do so. I really love the space of painting creates new outline of it. I was taught that the beauty of space exists for viewers from some books. When people look at an oriental painting, their idea can be floating among the objects in a piece. I intended to attract a participation from viewers like that way. For me, the art is completed with people's imagination or appreciation.

2. Many of your locales include Stockholm, India, etc. Are these places you've been to before, places you want to visit, or just places that inspire?

All locations used as my watercolors are where I've been visited before apart from only Stockholm a friend had been. I created my style so impressed by a massive temple carving one single rock in India at first. This building is called 'Kailash' which placed in Ellora caves, Maharashtra. Every strange places inspire me indeed and motivate me to develop my style. That's why I cannot stay one place so long time.

3. Also, what gravitates you towards the medium of watercolors? It is one of the most unpredictable mediums, so what advantages and disadvantages does it grant you?

You got a keyword of my answer in your question already. The 'unpredictable' characteristic of water is the ideal way to show the specific natural aspect. Before using the pen and brush with watercolor on real paper, I only live in graphic programs consisted with 'ctrl+z' and 'ctrl+s'. No one can save their particular life time on a storage and what we had done cannot be undone in real life. I really wanted to escape from unreal world like that. The watercolor teach me what is the life because I made a tons of failure while repeated attempts. It can be explained as advantages and disadvantage both.
In fact, watercolors are dry fast and easy to use for the beginner and cheap as well. Most importantly these properties are perfectly fit for traveling.
There are a lot to be said 'advantages' for me anyway.

4. Did you have any reservations about not going to art school and how it could ultimately hold you back from opportunities?

First of all, I could not convinced myself going to art school at all. When I was a little girl, I didn't want to do what most people do. Since I saw my friends who attended after school art classes painted in perfectly same way at sketch contest in field trip, I decided not going to art school. I was afraid of I got into a habit of copying from art school graduated teachers as well. I never understood why people go to art school for doing art and repetitively memorizing how to draw same status like busts of Venus, Agippa, Julian and so on spending a lot of money every month for several years.
I majored in economics at a university, yet wasn't into my major. So I started taking history and philosophy classes without permission between my classes all along. I kept studying other majors until a professor recognized me and drove me out of the classroom. This brought me nothing involved art directly but taught me how to think more about art and life. I was doing my job while art school students were doing their job.
Ultimately I wasted time and school expenses and maybe lost lots of opportunities what art school students have. I've ever regreted not going to art school even when I was refused by a job interviewer in the reason that I'm not an art school graduate. If I couldn't get good opportunities, that must be just for my poor portfolio. Not a certification of graduation.

5. What are your feelings towards formal education in the arts? Do you feel it is necessary or beneficial to an artist?

If someone could find the way to express what they want to do in art school with good skill trained many years, then it was really worthy going there. But the formal art education made someone to spend huge mount of money for several years and push them to stressful competition among students, not beneficial at all. If I can change your question into 'What is the advantage in formal education you think?', then I would say 'there are special things in art school I've never got. The human network like fellow artists and great teachers spending few years in the same place . Or the information which people in school be able to reach very easily such as contests, lectures, lessons and exhibitions open for only students.
We live in age surrounded by an ocean of self training methods. There are uncountable number of books introducing every skills for watercolors, oil painting, digital painting, drawing and sketching everything. Even on the internet, we can get thousands of kind and very detailed information about all of them if you put your mind to it.
I just approached to the art from a slightly different starting point. That's all. In my case, I spent many years to find what I really want to draw having jobs that I didn't want to. It would be hilarious if I say that the art school is unnecessary and not beneficial to artists. I'm living only in life not going to art school so far and those good advantages of formal education was not worthy going to art school only to me.

6. What are some of your favorite Asian films or Anime?

I'm a big fan of Cowboy bebop and Mushishi. I love all solitude characters appear in both of Japanese animations.

7. Working in so many fields like cell animation, flash, web, and illustration...how do you acheieve balance being so multi-disciplined in the arts?

This is the result of not going to art school. Instead of that, I chose to go to a cell animation company like a factory reminded of a coop at my age 20 and applied for a web designer because I had only portfolio of websites I designed at the time. I've been working for any fields for living and in doing so, those name of jobs are piled up beside me. Some of them made me quite pleased sometimes but mostly I was getting sick of them soon. Getting know each fields and learning skills are very enjoyable, however I couldn't feel satisfied without drawing.

8. What benefits does Busan afford you? Is the work environment quite healthy there?

This place is great to create something for me but not sure it goes for other artists. For few years, I didn't travel so long and had to come back from foreign travel immediately for my full time job. It is like a pressure cooker. For over 4 years, Busan pressed me to radiate my talent. I love my hometown living my parents and friends but It's time to move on again. I know the' healthy' means not in this way, I think it's absolutely healthy environment to work me, eating the food is made at home and taking care of myself near my family and friends. In art works, I have no idea about if good local cultural art spaces is. But the art museum nearby where not many people visited even on weekend. With a small library not busy and filled up with many art books, in this place I learnt a lot of art from books and watching real pieces hanging on the wall.

9. Do you have any plans for any art exhibits or group shows? Do you feel vulnerable showing your work publicly?

I can share my works online with people across the world and I thought no need to show them in person. So I wasn't interested in bringing my pieces to any galleries and showing to the staffs. Maybe some of them asked me which university I graduated. Anyway I was too busy with work before and I'm ready to start sketch travel for months from early next year. After that, I'll prepare to apply to any art fair in Europe with my pieces of the travel drawing on location. Wish me good luck!

10. Lastly, any advice for any budding artist out there?

I am not enough to give any advice for fellow artists yet, I'd like to share Prof.Dr.GeraldHüther's quotes; brain develops depending on the use one makes of it.