The most frequently asked question regarding my work is "Why did you paint only in blue?" The audience and I have shared many thoughts on the color ‘blue’, and whether or not they are experts in art, everyone seemed to be curious about the use of blue. Answering that simple question became increasingly difficult. “Well, blue is my favorite color, and the color that reveals my challenging spirit toward contemporary art.” Since then, ironically, I kept asking myself why I liked this color so much. Then I gradually realized. Blue is a spiritual color that raises everything up to the heavens. Blue is the color of the aristocracy and success. Blue is cool and composed, intelligent and sophisticated. Blue is also a dynamic color that changes its character along with different colors. I have incorporated the theme of nature consistently since college. However, previous to the current blue series, my landscapes were more of a colorful combination of abstraction and figuration. Working with a single color, blue, is because of the charm of the monotone. Additionally, it enables immersion and concentration, which I consider as one of the most critical aspects of artmaking. I believe that the desire to explore the great nature is innate in human nature. We might have formed an intimacy with nature since inside the womb. When we look forward to escaping from the harsh reality, we tend to leave for the mountains, forests, and the beach to cast down each of our burden of life. Living in a big city, I sometimes look outside the window to discover a precious tree over a shallow hill. Then I leave for relaxation. In fact, it’s more about strolling around in search of the subject for my painting. I usually collect the natural elements by taking photos, and often scrap appealing tree images from books. The whereabouts of the landscape of my work are unknown. It does not portray a specific site like in a conventional landscape painting. Here comes another critical aspect of my work. Through my deliberately planned landscape, the audience can engross themselves in the imagery nature that they may have seen or been to. In that way, the audience can conceal or reveal their minds. The resulting ‘mindscape’, is a combination of various photos and images collected from different sources. Each element contains its own history and passage of time. The time, place, memory, and history from all different origins are blended to transport the viewers to a new landscape in different time and meaning. My work borrows the style of Western painting, but at the same time emphasizes the prominent use of blank space, which is one of the key features of Korean painting. What is apparent is the contrast of the white background with the blue. The seemingly flat white space is coated with dozens of layers of white paint, starting from the very surface of the canvas. This process makes the white function as more than a background-something more aesthetic, perhaps a room for meditation. The mindscape surrounded by white waters and white sky even seems to be floating in the air. Thus the scene may look like a portrayal of nature, but it also invites the viewer into a surreal space. My own way of contemplating nature and the world is by creating a “planned mindscape", not by illustrating "authentic landscape". The advanced, materialistic modern world provides humans with benefits and public interests. Even so, society is rampant with evils and absurdities on the other side. In my childhood memory, I used to tread the earth with bare feet and play unhindered with other kids, but now one can only tread soil in the rural areas. Children nowadays must head to after-school lessons at set times in order to secure a room for play. The more we enjoy the benefits granted by civilization, the more we become restless and expressionless. Art has the social function of reducing the burden of life and increasing communication. Art is inseparable from life. It allows one to reveal or veil one’s emotions, and with some artistry, one can intensify its effect. As an artist myself, I am not preoccupied with communicating a grandiose artistic gesture or message. My wish is that my work functions as a breathing room for the audience. I hope that everyone coping with tough daily life can arrive at comfort and relaxation through my mindscapes, chill blue and timeless.