I have always known that I am a painter at heart, although I took a circuitous path to get to where I am today. First thing I remember about my childhood in South Korea is how I loved to draw and color things, even on the kitchen walls. Growing up there, I also took calligraphy lessons and the years of calligraphy training has had a strong influence on my paintings. After moving to the U.S. as a teenager, instead of going straight to an art school, I chose to study science in college because I had intense curiosity about how Cosmos works at a molecular, atomic level. I enjoyed most of the science courses, but thought the approach too reductionist. I, then, sought to understand the world in more integrated terms. That led to a multi-decade career in finance. After I got my CFA in ‘97, I started studying abstract art at the Art Students League of New York in the evenings and on weekends. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the poetry of science and to realize that the boundary between science and art is rather porous than impermeable. Now, I have finally come full circle: I discontinued my finance career to paint full time. What I would like to say as an artist is deeply informed by the journey I took to become one.
Education:
A.B. Biochemical Sciences, Harvard University '92
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) '97
Exhibitions:
2023 Annual Holiday Art Show, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
2021 Annual Holiday Art Show, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
2019 Annual Guild Hall Art Show, Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY
2018 Juried Selection Exhibition (Merit Scholarship Recipient: Abstract Category), Art Students League of NY, New York, NY