I started this series of hair and braid paintings in the summer of 2008 for a group show that I was in called: Inspiration: Paterson at the Passaic County Community College Art Galleries in November-December 2008. These acrylic on paper hair and braid patterns are based on photos I have taken of students and strangers I have come across in Paterson, New Jersey where I have worked for the past 9 years.
Although I was born in Seoul, Korea, I lived in Kenya and Uganda for the first seven years of my life. Since then, I have lived in various parts of northern NJ. When I was 15, I made a life changing decision by studying with Korean exiled painter, Ung No Lee in Normandy, France. I discovered that summer how art was inextricably tied to nature and my life.
I pursued my interest in art school in Rhode Island and graduate school in New York City. Following my formal education, I worked as a textile colorist in NYC, an adjunct professor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ and as an art educator in Paterson, NJ. I am currently building a new body of work as part of my Lower East Side Printshop Keyholder Residency.
>via: http://www.soyoonlym.com