Abstract artist Lee Mi-young creates her new styles with new colors and shows her works in Korea as well as in the United States. (Photos: Lee Mi-young's private collection)

Abstract artist Lee Mi-young has found her niche in western techniques of painting and abstraction. It was more than a decade ago in 2006 during her mid-career when the artist was featured in the NewsWolrd magazine along with other prominent top artists.

She is still active in creating her new styles with new colors and showing her works in Korea as well as in the United States.

Lee uses oils and acrylics on paperboard or canvas to produce her abstract paintings.

She says: “The style and techniques I utilize in translating my feelings to images have grown from within myself as a result of my emotional response to my work and my life's experiences.

The actual source of the energy that inspires me and the effect that my work has on other people is not my primary concern in creating my art. While I am pleased when people find something beautiful in my work that they can relate to, my purpose for creating is not to decorate, but rather it is to visually express my feelings.

My paintings are a composite of geometric forms, organic shapes, gestures, and texture, combined in a kaleidoscope of color to create an image of harmony, energy and optimism.”

Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, where as a child she was steeped in the philosophical and artistic traditions of her culture. During her formative years, her progressive parents saw to it that she was also introduced to philosophies and concepts of art as they have developed in other cultures around the world.

<“Blessing” by abstract artist Lee Mi-young.>

As she studied art and began her development as an artist she found that the traditional Korean art forms of portraiture, landscapes and floral paintings left her desire for self expression unsatisfied.

She began to explore western techniques of painting and abstraction to give voice to her ideas and feelings. Lee then decided to continue her development as an artist outside of Korea where she could experience a culture where abstraction was more prevalent as an art form. To that end, she decided to continue her art education in the United States.

Moreover, in order that her immersion in western culture would be most profound, she selected an area of the United States where she felt she would be least likely to encounter Koreans or other Asians.

South Dakota fulfilled that criterion so, among other schools, she investigated the University Of South Dakota College Of Fine Arts. Liking what she discovered, she applied to and was accepted to USD in 1982.

She proceeded to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1985, and then a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1988.

Her award-winning artwork continues to gain prominence throughout the United States and abroad with a growing list of public and corporate collectors such as Price Waterhouse, Pillsbury, Sprint and Samsung displaying her art along with solo and group exhibitions in Korea, China, Poland and Germany.

She continues to explore new techniques and abstraction. Since last year, she has been continuing with her Synergy/Perpetuity series on canvas. Synergy/Perpetuity is a series of paintings she has been working on many years. “Perpetuity is forever. It is my optimism for the future of the world.

Hope and harmony permeate the spirit. The circles and rings represent the dynamic states of our life process. These are found on most of my Perpetuity series. They are presented in harmony, yet they deliver strong positive energy.”

With a new commission in US, she has also resumed her unique paintings Assemblage series. The way they are put together on the wall are like pieces of a puzzle. They’re different pieces, but they come together as the “big picture.”

Assemblage is a big piece when put together. It is 48 inches bottom to top and could span up to 90 inches wide horizontally from tip to tip. She only creates this when commissioned from clients and it requires quite an effort to create 11 canvases where each of them portrays different emotions and feelings through its colors and gestures.

As a whole, the Assemblage indeed represents all of the themes and ideas she has been trying to express through her paintings: connection, blessing, energy and optimism.