Meet Erin Hyunhee Kang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Hyunhee Kang.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey started with my mom from the very beginning. She is the one who nurtured me through art ever since I was little. She was a high school art teacher and a painter herself, noticed my twinkling eyes when she first taught me how to hold a brush. Ever since we were connected not only as family but also in art together. She was a mentor who encouraged and showed me the way to pursue my journey as an artist regardless of obstacles and challenges throughout my life. I moved to United States from Seoul, Korea at age of 15. I went through tough time as a teenager adopting to a new culture and learning English. Unable to understand and speak English, every morning was a torture and the start of a long agonizing journey. I remember stepping into a school bus expecting kids to make fun of me, entering a big cafeteria to have lunch with no one to sit next to, facing a teacher who purposely picked on me to read aloud the full chapter of social study text book in front the whole class when students were staring intensely waiting for me to mispronounce so they can make fun of me felt like a bomb that was about to go off any minute.

My heart was beating so fast that I felt like having a multiple heart attacks throughout the day. My mom waited for me everyday around the bus stop, greeting and asking me how my day was. I tried my best to be optimistic and cheerful but she knew my days were hard. She would quietly hold my hand harder to let me know it was okay and that I was safe with her. Her strong hand grip would relieved me from intense stress I was under the whole day. But such greetings did not last many days. Kids on the school bus started to notice my mom waiting at the bus stop and started to make fun of her. They pulled down the windows and would yell out racial names and comments. One day, I was so embarrassed that I let go of her hand and walked right passed her. She never showed up at the bus stop from that day on. I still feel sorry to my mom till this day. One day, I came back home from school after an extremely difficult day. I noticed a beautiful new set of watercolors, brushes and a sketchbook on top of our small dinning table. My mom asked me If I wanted to paint with her again. I said yes right away.

Ever since, I never let go of my brushes. I stayed late almost every night and worked hard to master all the necessary techniques of drawing and painting. My mom was always there to encourage me on my journey of becoming an independent and a confident artist. I slowly stood out at my school with my artistic abilities to create and was encouraged to participate in fun school functions. I was maturing both as an individual and an artist. I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art with a major in illustration. During my years at RISD, I was selected as a member of European Honors Program to study abroad in Rome and as an interchange, student to continue fine art studies at Seoul National University in Korea. Most of my professors at RISD and SNU recommended me to further my education at MFA program. Instead, without any financial assistance from my parents, I had to launch my career right away to live on a sustainable income.

I worked for New Yorker Magazine at Condé Nast as a photograph assistant then moved on to Tapehouse Toons as a member of visual effects team creating The X-Presidents series for Saturday Night Live TV Funhouse, and Disney’s Lizzie McGuire series. Even though I had amazing experiences working at fun and fast-paced industries of weekly magazine and broadcast, I wanted to focus more on long term narrative design formats which led me to become a book jacket designer at one of the most respected publishing companies, Penguin Group USA (PGI). I created multiple book covers for award-winning writers at some of the most prestigious imprints in book publishing such as G.P. Putnam Son’s and Riverhead. After many exciting years at PGI, I left NYC and settled in Boulder, CO with a growing family. Currently, I works as a high school visual arts teacher at Boulder Valley School District and a freelance designer for Penguin Random House. I am also actively developing a personal body of fine art works as I work with collaged images as preliminary sketches for larger body of paintings.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ever since I moved to United States at age of 15, not only I struggled to adopt to a new culture and language, but I also had to deal with a life of duality where opposing values of Eastern and Western constantly clash. The marginal identity as a Korean American placed me in a middle ground where I had to live in two completely different worlds; I was a stranger in both. As a result, my creative outlets act as a form of balance in this middle ground where my search to identity continue not only as a Korean American artist but also as a female, a mother, and a wife. My creativity derives from my exploration of the subconscious, I create surreal landscapes that depict my past and present emotional states and reactions to daily life. These constructed spaces are neither exceedingly literal nor overtly metaphorical. My landscapes depict the subtle connections and boundaries between different phases of life, resulting in outcomes both serene and catastrophic that obscure what is manipulation and manipulated. By exploring these unpredictable spaces, I seek to create a path to clarification of future existence while also accepting these pivotal moments from the past.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Finding a mentor and networking is not easy for me since my personality is very private and quiet. I had to push myself with a courage to step forward with my art. I looked for an opportunity to be in a group setting where artists could support and inspire each other. I found this wonderful group of passionate artists working in non-profit residency program from Boulder Creative Collective (BCC). I was selected as one of nine artists in a year long residency program with a free working studio provided. This opportunity brought me a chance to refine my visual skills and cultivate my mind as a fine artist. As my work developed, inquires for my work increased and showing opportunities arrived. I am grateful for all opportunity to show my art and share my personal stories with the community I belong and cherish.

Contact Info:

• Email: erinkangstudio@gmail.com
• Website: www.erinkangstudio.com
• Instagram: @erinkangstudio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH7Hvc7xr8A

Image Credits
Paula Gillen/BCC