The series, Ode to Mingjun KIM:, is a natural evolution of my work as an artist. In my early college years I learned how to use oil paint and watercolor while also exploring methods of sculpture. I created structures of purposely shattered fine china, stoneware and other forms of ceramics to then reconstruct vicious forms of broken china.

Painting was soothing and my sculptures were violent and at the time, mini-malevolent creative acts. The mini-malevolence let me start to learn how to emotionally balance myself and start to create a new normal after adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs.

Upon the start of my first master’s degree I started a large body of elephant inspired drawings and paintings. I saw strong connections between the role of single motherhood and a herd’s matriarch. I continued this work for years, intermingling the body of work with other imagery of endangered species or animals.

Still using bold color I dove into stronger use of flat shapes and abstraction completing the 55 watercolor panel series, “Skin, Hair, Water & Earth”. The series holds three mini-series inside of the larger body of work: “Deaf Talk Within”,”Victim, Survivor, Thriver” and “Betraying Big Brother”. While doing my doctorate I was limited with what supplies I could use and watercolor became my go to media, and I completed the series.

Upon lock down during the COVID pandemic, I was pushed into a creative space of isolation and my work continued its abstracted direction and I complete the four panel series: Individual Collectivities.

A couple of years after completing my doctoral degree and as I was decompressing from the stress and readjusting to what I call “civilian life” after the PhD, but still doing research, I came across the artist Mingjun Kim, https://www.minjung-kim.com/ .

I find her work soothing, engaging, reflective. I learned about her processes and education. I appreciate her understanding and use of calligraphy and the meditative connections she explains and expresses. I started to study various rice papers and learned most are mulberry. I took my own use of color and pushed myself into a space where I would use calmer tones and palettes.

I consider how many folks don’t want to talk, face, or deal with how adults negatively treat children in this world. Nor the need to create permanent spaces for making a “new normal” after trauma, abuse, & neglect for children growing into adulthood who live with past harm.

I consider how some folks want survivors to just “bounce back” from events potentially shifting the brain functions, impacting the body intergenerationally, and just causing pain and emotional agony.

Then I started the series, Ode to Mingjun KIM:

The series is titled, Ode to Mingjun KIM:, for a few reasons. One SHE is the inspiration and I need to give that power t her and her work. I feel its inappropriate to build upon her ideas and the inspiration she shares without acknowledging her life and work.

I have seen many times where artist take the work of others and act like it’s their own. Why can’t folks just say who inspires them? Why not cite the work? Why not admit you were stuck and another creative soul has something you don’t and they helped you move to a new creative place? Mingjun Kim inspried me. I wanted to learn about her life and work. I let what I learned church and percolate in my head and then I went to work!

Thus, the creation of the series, Ode to Mingjun KIM: started. Part I has 117 pieces with quiet tones, soft palette and is small in size compare to my very large oil paintings.

Part II is a bit darker in tone and palette with 159 pieces (as of December 23, 2024). I have been working on the series for about a year—I started in December of 2023.

The work is collective illustrations brushing upon themes of trauma but at the same time recognizing traumatic events as life defining and altering, is not the end-all, be-all of one’s identity.

There are many other elements present in life building one’s identity and trauma is only one element. Thus, in my series, Ode to Mingjun KIM: the viewer can see elements of trauma, love, beauty, solace, education, pain, care, fun, depth, frivolity, layers, darkness, light, joy, tenderness, delicateness, harshness, cultural, and satisfaction.