2000

Living and working in South Korea changed my actual world—and therefore my exposure to ideas. An opportunity to see the similitude of people across cultures, it was also a foil for my perspective on life in America.

The content of this work is derived from these experiences. My world was turned upside down: people, culture, history, expectations, motivation… everything different and convoluted. Although extremely personal, these works can evoke universal feelings of alienation, intrigue, and confusion over new experiences.

Characterized by multilevel imagery, copious use of mixed media, three-dimensional design, and broken images, two of the works were painted directly on top of woodcut prints. One of the larger pieces in the series, "Madonna Without Child" catches your eye as you gaze at her familiar, stone-like face…and then notice her hands in a distinctly Buddhist pose. Floating around her are glowing neon crosses, reminiscent of the Protestant churches and their crosses that light up the night sky around South Korea.

In "I Will Honor" a young woman is torn between the traditions of her past and the world of possibilities, good or bad, that await her future. Those familiar with Korean culture will recognize the wedding ducks—split in two—and kimch'i pots; a well-dressed family—adorned in their hanbok—built up piece by piece, layer by layer, and the broken edges are familiar to us all.

A familiar General MacArthur sends us the message in the diptych, "Coke Wars," that this is a piece about war, not only for land, but for the soul of a nation. The towering figure of General Yi Sun-sin, painted in the chiaroscurist manner juxtaposed with a drawing by my Korean-born son tells us that we may not understand all of the forces in someone else's life, no matter how they dominate the picture. Turmoil and strife, indecision, disobedience, conformity, the ultimately foreign symbols, and the completely familiar—all of these pull at our emotions and influence our actions.