* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Kwon Kyung Yup, a graduate of Sejong University in Korea, begins her process by taking photographs first; this captures all the details and expressions. She then makes a draft of the photo and paints in on canvas with oil. Although it seems unorthodox, this technique was employed in the beginning stages of photography. Before photography was possible to print, they were used as a research tool in developing wood engraved illustrations. During the 1860s and 1870s, wood engravings were drawn from photographs and they became prevalent in mass communication. Kwon is ideally using photography in the same light but transferring onto canvas. Although printing photography is simple today, Kwon paints to layer what photography cannot, her arduous strokes, layers of meaning and passion with her hands.
