My teaching philosophy can best be summarized by a poem from the Korean poet Tae-ju Na, titled “Wildflower”:

Only by looking closely can one find its beauty; only by gazing long can one find it lovely. The same way for you.

I have embraced this philosophy because, since the age of 12, I have been learning to paint in a professional atelier environment. From those early days, my mentors continually taught me that the inception of great art begins with observing closely and observing for a long time—a principle that echoes the importance of observation emphasized by representative painting and early pioneers of time-based media. Having served as an art instructor for over 16 years in South Korea and the United States, this fundamental principle of careful observation has become the foundation for my teaching and mentoring approaches. The below works are my students' work.