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Communicating through art

Having just learned English, a South Korean artist who now calls Okotoks home is expressing herself through the language of art.
Lanhee Cho – Art in the Park2
Okotoks artist Lanhee Cho creates one of her multimedia paintings during Art in the Park in front of the Okotoks Art Gallery last month. The artist moved to the Foothills from South Korea eight years ago and is communicating with the community through her art.

Having just learned English, a South Korean artist who now calls Okotoks home is expressing herself through the language of art. Lanhee Cho is captivating art viewers with her stunning multimedia paintings depicting the region’s breathtaking views from mountain and prairiescapes to rivers and flowers. She puts oil to canvas, adding texture by dipping yarn in a plaster-like substance called gesso. Cho moved to Canada eight years ago, hardly able to speak English. “This is my language,” she said of her art. “It’s the best way to express my inner-self to people.” What is being said is something Cho often keeps to herself. She wants viewers to have their own interpretation of each piece she creates. “I don’t explain my paintings,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the way. Everybody has their own story and there might be something in mind or something they think about that the painting is leading them to go somewhere. I let them just have their own way to understand. Some people ask me, can I explain a little bit, but I don’t like to. What they feel, that’s right.” What Cho feels when she creates her art is joy. “I want to share with the people because this art is fun for myself,” she said. “I want to communicate with people… speaking through my painting. It gives me happiness. I can share what I feel.” This happiness is evident in the bright colours and soft edges of her work. “Some artists are very dark - maybe they want to talk about those kind of things,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I have a little bit of difficulty, I know some very good things are going to happen. I want to share good things.” In some ways, Cho’s art can be symbolic. She said a large rock could represent either a hurdle in someone’s path, or a steppingstone. It’s up to them to determine what they see. When viewing Cho’s collection, one will not see a single item represented. They will observe several rocks on the edge of the water, a grove of trees back dropped by mountains or several flowers in a vase. It’s Cho’s way of representing people. “Sometimes I feel like I’m just one of the rocks, isolated,” she said. “Some of the people, for them, I might be a little big. We look at the Hollywood star as really big, but for them they can be a little rock.” Since moving to Canada, Cho’s work has been displayed at the Calgary Multicultural Centre, Servus Credit Union and Foothills Centennial Centre’s Art in the Hall. Reaching this stage as an artist has been accomplished through self-motivation and perseverance. Having grown up in a poor family and being the oldest of four children, Cho didn’t have the opportunity to gain an education in art. Instead, she had to support her family. When her natural talent was discovered in her community, Cho was invited to teach private art lessons to children at the age of 16. “I got a lot of attention from people,” she recalls. “They were just amazed when they look at my work. I thought I had a very special talent.” In the meantime, Cho watched as some friends and even her younger sister studied in special art schools. “I envied them inside,” she said. “I was so angry, why don’t I have any chance.” That didn’t stop Cho from pursuing her dream, even after she married and had children. Trying to make it as an artist isn’t an easy feat. “There was a lot of competition with art, a lot of marketing,” she said. “I needed to know a lot of people. I was taking care of my kids. There was not much chance. I didn’t know the art business.” Life took a fateful turn when Cho took an English course and fell in love with her tutor – a Calgary man. The couple moved to Okotoks. Eight years later, Cho’s walls are filled with her beautiful creations and her supplies are neatly placed in her living room studio as she works on yet another project, each one taking two months to complete. “I didn’t have any plan about art, I just keep painting,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m selling or someone finds me. It’s not about sales. I’m very happy with the painting. I can’t imagine life without painting.” Cho plans to continue displaying more of her art as she becomes better acquainted with the art community. “I want to show to the people and talk to them what I’m doing,” she said. “Okotoks supports a lot of artists. It’s such a good chance for me.” To see more of Lanhee Cho’s creations go to lanhee.blogspot.com.

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