Published in Art-to-Art Palette Journal:

"What inspires you to brush calligraphy onto your creations?"
My creation comes from an image transformation of model features of ancient Chinese letters. From cuneiform of Chinese letters to its current characters, these letters possess a remarkable distinction that strongly express morality and emotion of human. It also is based on the right comprehension of the classics and the pursuit of aestheticism of each character. In other words, my ideas pursue variance and individuality through the acceptance and transformation of the classic. The unique shapes of the ancient Chinese letters are condensed codes that have accumulated throughout thousands of years. I would like to express the zenith of those abstract. The intensity of the dramatic impact between black and white and darkness and brightness, eruption of energy from my spiritual strength, high conciseness, and aesthetics of blank space, all express my moods and emotions. To establish creative works, I have to entirely concentrate and incorporate these tools, rice paper, ink stone, ink and brush altogether.

"What is the nature of your monochrome techniques?"
Accomplishing monochrome art on rice paper is not easy and cannot be explained in a simple manner. It took 20 years for one "right" stroke with the brush. There is no shorter way of learning. The nature of monochrome is drawn into the human life: each person is born at one place, and eventually they will leave from one place. Also, we were born with empty hands and leave with nothing. My art foundation is in these "empty hands" and "one place". As well, we do not need many words to show our intentions to others. There is a Korean adage, "One right word can get you out of a million debts." This monochrome stroke cannot be daubed with ink like oil painting. When I make mistakes, I have to start again with new rice paper.

In Western countries, 'brush stroke' is used as a term to describe what should be called Hwek or Hua ("Hwek" in Korean and "Hua" in Chinese). A brush stroke itself has no strength like "Hwek" and hence it would not be a proper term to describe its assumed equivalent in monochrome art. Even when I draw a Hwek with a brush losing its ink, it is like an eagle swiftly hooking a prey, welded iron, and the moment of soft and comfortable feeling as I lie down on wool. Hundreds of colors can be used on rice paper with different ranges of ink thickness. I usually use a 11cm- and 2cm- diameter brush that can be rotated by 360 degrees. Because brushes are not short, they cannot move quite freely without an awakened soul, adjusted power and natural passion.

The second important friend of my art is rice paper. The paper refuses my artificial mind and does not like having the brush floating above the paper. The paper only accepts my authenticity and the brush has to be adhesive to the paper. Thus, the harmony of hygroscopic feature of rice paper, water, and ink is the same as the nature of humans.