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Dom Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, and received his BFA in Painting from the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University. He moved to the United States in 1990, where he graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, with an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay. He has illustrated many award-winning picture books, including Baseball Saved Us, Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story and Be Water My Friend: The Bruce Lee Story. His wax paintings have been widely shown in South Korea and in the United Sates. .......................................................................................... Q&A I have developed my own technique, which combines painting and scratching details in encaustic wax. Encaustic beeswax painting is the oldest fine art technique in history. Encaustic literally means 'burning In'. This durable medium dates back over two thousand years ago to the days of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Around the Middle Ages, artists turned to tempera, fresco and ultimately oil paint. Although encaustic painting was overshadowed by these simpler painting techniques, it was never completely abandoned. Encaustic is an incredibly versatile, solvent-free medium, eliminating the need for turpentine and mineral spirits. Encaustic is highly resistant to yellowing effect, weathering, moisture, and high temperatures, even more so than oil paint. I start by covering paper with a thick coat of melted encaustic beeswax. Wax comes in different colors, and my favorites are 'Burnt umber', 'Burnt sienna', 'Black', and mixes of these three to create an overall uniform tone. Sometimes I apply a colored water-based underlay on the paper before I cover it with the wax. The surface itself may be warmed, to allow for the manipulation of the encaustic paint, or cooled, to 'freeze' the brush strokes that are applied to it. After the wax overlay cools down, I scratch out images on the dark box. Then, I might use oil paints or color pencils to apply more detailed variations in color and tone. When this is finished, the artwork has a slight three-dimensional feel to it, though it is on a two -dimensional surface. This is the effect that I look for. It gives me the feel of both painting and sculpturing.What does your heritage mean to you and what role does it play in your work as an illustrator? When I moved to the United States, I was 30 years old. Although I have lived here for 18 years, I am still more familiar with Korea, my native country. When I work on projects that relate to the United States or other countries' history and culture, I spend a long time doing research, to make sure that my illustrations feel authentic. And I enjoy the process. I love learning new things. In addition to being an artist, you also teach art to children. As a teacher, what's the main thing you try to convey to them? That they should look thoroughly, think independently and express their own ideas. Do you have a new book project coming out in 2008/2009? I'm working on a picture book about the games that we used to play on the street when I was a child. When I was growing up in Seoul, the streets and alleyways, mostly vanished now, were my only playground. This is my first time writing. My plan is to finish a dummy by the end of this year and then look for a publisher. I hope the book will be out by next year. Posted May 2008 |
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written by Ken Mochizuki, written by Paula Yoo, written by Ken Mochizuki, written by Ken Mochizuki,
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