Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Choi.
Hi Gabriella, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Gabriella (Yeonhee) Choi, and I am a Watercolor Artist originally from South Korea.
I majored in Traditional Korean Painting, also known as Hangukhwa, and enjoyed a brief career in the field before immigrating to the United States with my husband.
Immigrating came with its own set of challenges. Most notably, I had trouble finding the necessary materials to continue my Traditional Korean painting style. So, I decided to delve into another style that was extremely similar in that it also utilized water as its foundation base to express colors – Watercolor painting.
During college, I learned under the guidance of a professor who specialized in Jingyeongsansu (Jin-gyeong-sansu), a variation of traditional Korean painting style that focuses on creating fluid, motion-like illusions of a great scenery.
One of the lessons I’d learned was that a long time ago, artists didn’t look at a specific sight to paint their portraits. Rather, they used to draw inspirations from sceneries they remembered and books they had read.
In every piece of art, subtle elements of the artist’s emotions, history, and characteristics can be seen. When it comes to my paintings, I have been told that they resonate an atmosphere akin to that of traditional Korean paintings.
This year, Michigan’s autumn is especially jaw-dropping. Random leaves fluttering about the earth, multicolored trees slowly blooming into color; I am left speechless with a desire to capture every scene with my eyes and cherish them in my heart. A thought that has been circulating in my head nowadays is “How can I better capture this beauty onto my canvas?”
No matter how realistic a painting, no two portraits can be identical. Even if they were to have been drawn at the same time and place, essences of an artist’s soul are etched into every crevice that tells a slightly different story from one work to another. And it is for this reason why I want to paint with my heart, not my eyes. Western styles, Eastern styles… such things aren’t important. Beautiful paintings can transcend race, culture, time, and space, as well as help heal our emotions and souls.
Like all artists, painting is a therapeutic activity. I also want that for those who view my work.
Sometimes, I wonder if we could set aside our daily stresses and hardships of life for a moment, allow ourselves to immerse in mindfulness and healing, then maybe, the world will be a more peaceful and abundant place for everyone.
Thank you, and I hope my work provides value for you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am a first-generational immigrant, and in the last 25 years, Ann Arbor has become my second hometown. Although my longing for Korea continuously grows, so does my love for this place I proudly call home. In the early days after immigrating, my life revolved around adapting to the new culture and raising my children. Due to this, I didn’t have any capacity to be mindful of all of the beauty around me. But now, I am convinced that I live in the most beautiful city in the world.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Love your art and love your work. Pay close attention to what you work on.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: watercolorgabriella
