Page 7 - 강명자 작가 (1968-2021) 화집

Greetings

Since I was young, I have especially liked flowers. If I had time, I went to the mountains looking for wild flowers. Even as an
adult, flowers have been a big topic in my life. In particular, wild flowers fascinated me with strong self-sustaining power. On
the weekends, I went out to observe wild flowers with my camera and sketchbook. I spent much of my life sketching them
and painting them on canvas. Wild flowers and wild edible greens growing in the mountains around Gangwon-do where I
used to live and Gyeonggi-do where I live now, are clearly recorded in my memories and are still drawing my attention.

The Bible says, "Neither King Solomon was dressed as much as this wild flower in all his glory (Matthew 6:29)." I wished to

live beautifully and peacefully like a noble wild flower. My children, like me, have been fond of flowers and grew emotionally
secure.

Looking back, I think I was able to live my 30-year teaching life to the fullest because I was immersed in painting and
emptied out other distracting thoughts.

Even now, when I see flowers, I miss my deceased father. My father was particularly fond of flowers, birds, and animals. Every

spring, he planted various flower seeds in the flowerbeds for us to appreciate. Those flowers were poppies, nasturtium,
rose moss, morning glory. He made chrysanthemum bonsai on rocks and tree roots, and also hatched and raised golden
pheasants.

My grandmother forced me to eat the rice wrap made with poppy sprout and nasturtium sprout, saying, “If you don’t want
to have tummy ache during the summer, you have to eat it.” I still remember the white and bitter poppy sprout sap and spicy
nasturtium sprout. All of these are beautiful memories that can no longer be returned.

I have tried to relive these beautiful memories of my childhood with flowers. In this catalogue, I have collected my works

that have fused objects such as flowers, jars, figures into traditional Korean patterns.

June 2021
So-yeon, Myungja Kang

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