WILLIAMSBURG — Moonjoo Lee has been teaching the traditional art of Korean Painting at the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center (WCAC) since January.
Lee was born and raised in South Korea, where she worked as a middle school art teacher. When she came to the United States, she continued working in the art education field, including running children’s programs. Following COVID-19, Lee decided to focus more on her own personal work.
At WCAC, she is teaching the art of Minhwa painting. According to Korean-Arts.com the characteristics of Minhwa paintings are that they were all painted by unknown artists, and all were painted near the end of, or after the Chosun period.
“This type of painting is done on rice paper, not regular paper, but rice paper, mulberry paper, and oriental paper,” Lee explained about the form. “I then work with [my students] step by step so they can achieve their work each time.”
Lee’s students fell in love with her class, and want to see it grow and succeed at WCAC.
“I signed up for MoonJoo’s first Traditional Korean Folk Painting class (Minhwa) in the spring and have been her student ever since. I’m a travel photographer and love taking art classes, but I’ve never enjoyed a class as much as this one. And I’ve never learned as much,” Caroline Maryan, a current student, said.
“MoonJoo is a natural teacher, so she’s able to explain things clearly. She’s also incredibly encouraging and works one-on-one with each of us, answering questions and making suggestions,” Maryan added. “One of the best parts, to begin with, was that she gave us a pattern to trace, so we didn’t have to have previous knowledge of the design. Instead, we traced the pattern onto rice paper with Chinese ink and brushes. Then, we used Chinese paint to add the colors. It felt so satisfying to start and finish a project, plus she supplied frames so we had art to hang at home!”
Since the class began, students have worked to increase their skill set and are creating more intricate designs.
For more information about WCAC and its classes, check out its official webpage.
