Get to Know: Young-Ji Cha

Get to Know: Young-Ji Cha

In anticipation of this week's release with artist Young-Ji Cha we sat down with the Southern California-based artist to learn a bit about her life, art and her print "Festival."  Take a look below:

Where were you born and where are you now? 

I was born in Seoul, South Korea and currently living in Southern California.

What are your earliest artistic memories? 

Mostly just doodling as a kid and watching animation and reading comics.

From those memories, how has your work evolved over the years?

I think all my experiences and influences combined with my college training eventually created a natural evolution. Most of my traditional paintings were completed as life studies, but "Festival" was the first painting that came about from my imagination.

Could you tell us a bit about your release with us, "Festival?"

"Festival (마당놀이)" is based on ideas from Korean traditional outdoor performances with my own illustrative twist. This painting was done as a gift and was never exhibited before so I thought it would be a great piece for a limited edition print.

What is a normal day in the studio like for you?

I start with the most important element of my day which is a good cup of coffee and warm-up sketches. 

What is the most difficult part of creating? 

I think transferring the image in my head to a 2-D surface is always challenging. From time to time when the delivery of illustration doesn't come together or lacks in perspective, the fun element of creating disappears and frustration begins.

 

Currently, what places and what things are you drawing the most inspiration from?

I think all my work is inspired through a mixture of my daily life, work in animation and Korean heritage. 

When you're not in the studio working, what do you get up to?

When I'm not in my studio I like to relax and watch movies.

 

What can we look forward to next from you?

I'm in the process of developing a larger body of work for a yet to be announced show.

"Festival" will be available Thursday, August 19th at 1PM Pacific in our shop.

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