Artist
From South Korea
Based in South Korea
We interviewed wonderful Leemihye about her art journey, nature of the inspiration, daily rituals, ways to experience art, and many more
A: Please, tell us a bit more about yourself. What brought you into art?
L: I'm always happy when I'm drawing since I was young. Looking back on the day, drawing the fun things of the day, drawing myself who I want to be in the future, and drawing the story in my dream after I wake up were important daily habits that kept me organized and happy. I majored in chemistry, did related work, got married, and got busy raising children. Even on those days, what made me the happiest was drawing. So I started painting in earnest. It's been already 12 years.
A: What inspires you the most?
L: The small moments of joy that I find in my daily life, the moments when depression turns into peace, and the pleasant imagination that comes to mind with my family are inspiring me. Expressing the inspiration that came to mind with colors and lines can organize complicated thoughts.
A: Do you have any specific rituals while working (creating)?
L: I enjoy listening to various genres of music. I usually focus on melody and rhythm rather than lyrics. I listen to one song over and over again till I finalize the artwork.
The songs I recently listened to are "Gadd A Tee?" by Trio Töykett, "Ring Pop" by Jax, "Summer" by Joe Hisaishi and "Cette musique" by Renan Luce.
A: What would you recommend to someone new to art (an artist or just an admirer), what to begin with?
L: I would recommend them to visit various galleries and see many masterpieces.
A: Your top 3 adjectives related to art?
L: Warm, lovely, delightful
A: The best angle to look at art is from ..?
L: Empathy
A: The perfect phrase to start any conversation about art is: ..?
L: Color
A: Must-read books to talk about art (or do we even need them)?
L: MoMA Highlights, published by Random house Korea(RHK)
A: If you could change one thing in the art world - what would it be?
L: I hope more people can enjoy the arts. I believe good paintings help people feel happy and give them peace. So we need more galleries and more opportunities for people to enjoy good paintings.
A: Please, share your favorite quote (not necessarily related to art)
L: “Let's live a happy life through the process.”
Anna Mary Robertson Moses
Thank you!