Graduation Ceremony - June 16th, 2018
Sun Young Kang and Kyung Mi Jung were our two inspiring graduates this year. Both studied under Baoxing Zhang and both expressed their gratitude for Baoxing Zhang's lessons and advice.
Bamboo is a well-known subject in oriental art. This painting by Sun Young Kang has many bamboo groves with new shoots and older branches. Bamboo is admired in oriental culture for its longevity, flexibility, and resilience. Bamboo is often a symbol of a family from new shoots (children) to large, rough branches (grand parents). Some people in the painting perhaps recognize these qualities.
Kyung Mi Jung's painting of a dramatic landscape with cliffs and waterfalls also contained several cherry blossom trees or sakura to the Japanese. A person crosses a bridge to his home surrounded by this striking landscape, perhaps unconscious of this grand, beautiful world around him. Like the bamboo, the sakura is also symbolic indicating the wonderful but also fragile and fleeting nature of life.
Kyung Mi Jung with her landscape painting.
In this other interesting landscape by Kyung Mi Jung, trees play a dominant role. These trees grow even from the rocky shore and bare mountains. Trees like the pine are valued for their endurance in a harsh environment. A lesson for the people in this painting.
Sun Young Kang also had a round painting.
In this painting, the mountains and rocks are dominant. The trees, homes and people may disappear one day but these mountains will be here a long time. Mountains for some people are spiritual places. For other people, mountains represent obstacles to be overcome.
The seal for Sun Young Kang was added to the collection of seal imprints to those in the Sumi-e Artists of Canada.
Kyung Mi Jung also added her seal imprint with the help of Marie ikeda.
Their seals were added to this board. Their seals had characters for their own names.
Then we had some refreshments and socializing. Thank you Linda Nakatsu!
Members talked with the artists about their paintings.
Some visitors played with their video games too.
Sun Young Kang's family posed with her painting.
Kyung Mi Jung's family posed with her painting.
The graduation ceremony reminded us of the challenge to receive a seal. The seal is a moment of recognition. This moment also teaches us to continue developing our skills in workshops.