Ever since she was a youngster, Eunju Kang has been an avid doodler. But in the early 1990s, she transformed her sketches into paintings and prints to forge a successful art career.
Get the details when The Garage Art Center unveils Flower Talks with a special reception on Saturday, April 6, from 4 pm to 6 pm. Then, the exhibition, which features watercolors crafted during COVID, will be on display until April 28.
Kang’s pieces are in private collections around the world, and her illustration work has been utilized in packaging and ad campaigns by such brands as Godiva Chocolate, Aveda, and Simon & Schuster.
“I observe everything around me, and people often gift me with stems or flowers to paint,” she states on her webpage. “I lay these natural treasures on paper and strive to depict them honestly, without stressing over exact replication … As I draw, the elements seem to engage in conversation with each other—petals fall, and I capture the fallen petals; colors shift, and I record the changes each day.”
The Korea native, who moved to California as a teenager in the 1970s, has fine art degrees from UC Santa Barbara and Pasadena ArtCenter College of Design, where she graduated with distinction. She’s had residencies at The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center.
Kang, who will attend the launch, will lead a watercolor workshop on Saturday, April 20, from 3 pm to 4:30 pm.
Not far from the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, The Garage Art Center consists of a gallery and an outdoor seating area at 26-01 Corporal Kennedy St., about two blocks east of the Clearview Expressway in Bayside. Public transportation is scarce, but there’s free parking on the street.
Stephanie S. Lee, who teaches Korean folk art at Flushing Town Hall and works at Queens College’s Godwin-Ternbach Museum, created the venue by converting the garage to a private residence.
All programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The email contact is [email protected]
Images: The Garage Art Center