MEMOIR: PORTRAITS BY CHEONAE KIM

Sponsor: Hunt and Donna Bonan | Doug and Debby Kroeschen

Members’ Preview | Saturday, May 14 | 6:30 to 8:30 pm

Non-Members $5.00 admission

How much or how little visual information is needed to create a portrait?

Artist Cheonae Kim uses color and patterns like music. The individual colors may represent musical beats or notes while the grid patterns suggest meters.  The 60 portraits in the exhibit represent the artist’s family, friends, and beloved pets.

Cheonae Kim moved recently to New York City, after teaching art at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for 30 years.

In the Artist’s Own Words 

“After 30 plus years of having lived in Southern Illinois, I am now in a process of remembrance. My portrait series began with an attempt to remember and memorialize the seven dogs of friends that I have cared for. During my initial sketches of the dog portraits, I decided  it would be good if I could reflect on my past and create a series of portraits of the people and experiences that have impacted my life in the past 32 years in Southern Illinois.

It is almost like writing a memoir without words, just images. Using colors and structure, I try to capture the essence of each person. Each color has its own meaning and two colors create a harmony.  Three colors create a different one.

In this series, I try to capture the essence of the person.  Of course, it is my own understanding and interpretation of the person. I do feel that everyone has his or her own beauty. It is my attempt to reflect and appreciate these personal relationships that I treasure.”