▲ Watercolor Artist Ko Yong-ju

From a childhood talent to being a watercolor artist
Watercolor artist Ko Yong-ju had a different eye to see things since childhood. She liked drawing and children’s books very much and often surprised people around her with things made by tearing the paper, scissoring and rolling. Time went by and she engaged in the job of teaching children art as a visiting teacher during which she happened to meet a teacher who taught watercolor. The genre struck her somehow and she fell into the charm of it. 15 years have been passed and she has had five solo exhibitions and met many fellow artists by serving as the secretary general of the Cheongwon Art Association and the Chungbuk Art Association, the position worth noted considering the fact it was an exclusive property of male artists. 

From dot to line to figure to space
Unlike oil paintings, watercolor has its unique charm of the colors being spread. “A color meets another color to make a new color. I think it is marvelous watching the process” says Ko. She finds objects from nature and often travels for rough sketches and photos. But she values more of the vitality of the objects than the image itself. Her representative works <Echo> and <Sunset> are two good examples of giving this vitality: the former impresses you with fingerprinted mountains and the latter with colors you can see in daily life. <Spray> and <White World> also deliver the beauty of nature covered in snow or clouds with visible vitality. Ko says that she tried to send her message on the importance of cherishing one’s dream through these works. <White World>, in particular, received a great response from the art world for three-dimensional effect. One more of her works to worth mention is <Night in Pouring Stars>. It is more like an abstract, style-wise, with excellent layout of the colors of the stars. “Dots are important elements of my works. From a dot to another dot creates a line, a figure and a space. It is the artist’s unique choice whether the line is to be straight or curved to create a work according to the artist’s intention. From a dot to another dot in a way is a metaphor of connecting a person to another person.” 

Fostering talented young artists
Ko’s works have been well received at many group and exchange exhibitions home and abroad alongside her five solo exhibitions. But her talent not only confines her to creating art works of her own but also to teaching students. It is noteworthy that she has an art therapy instructor’s certificate and has actively carried on her research on psychology, art and humanities in relation to dots, circles, spheres, objects, language and math. When asked about her future plan, Ko said that she would use her knowledge in counseling psychology and art therapy for elderly as well as young people in the years to come.