Hanji Happenings

Beginner Hanji Classes  When:                   May 2nd - June 6th                             10.30 am - 12.30pm Where:                 Station master's Art Gallery ' Red Hen' workshop                            20 South Terrace,                             Strathalbyn, South Australia Phone:               +61(08) 8536 4263 Level:                ...

I'm back .......... Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018 to you all.  I've taken a longer than expected break from doing Hanji and spent 2017 involved in family and household commitments but am now raring to get back into being creative once again and am committed to updating my blog more regularly this year. Last year  my main Hanji event was an exhibition called 'Dissolve' in Sydney at the Korean Cultural Centre where I was asked to take part in an exhibition along with 4 other Australian artists who have been influencd by Korean Culture.  (I'll write more about that in other post). In the meantime keep checking back for more of my inspirations and creations for 2018 ....

  Transformation, creation and longevity ...... Suji Kim Suji Kim a beautiful, young Korean is a 'Linking Traditional Artist' who embodies a new generation of Koreans who are working with their age old traditions and bringing pieces of Hanji art into the 21st century. Her background is in fine arts and her interest is in the symbolism of folk paintings which she reproduces onto Hanji .  Traditional Korean folk paintings portrayed the simple lives of everyday people  and were far from sophisticated and yet the characters, animals, birds, flowers, nature and  seasons all ha d symbolic meanings. When adored on screens and as paintings on walls they created pleasant surroundings with constant reminders to their traditions and values. Korean Folk Art is a dying art form because the majority of modern Koreans , as is true all over the world, would rather have minimalist designs adoring their homes . Suji Kim's interpretations of those paint...

The Melbourne Korea Week Festival for 2016 has now come and gone.   Life has been pretty hectic since I was contacted about 3 weeks ago by the Korean Consular General's Dept. in Melbourne  and asked if I'd be interested in exhibiting some of my work and if I so wished,  selling some pieces. I was taken aback at first but thought, what a great opportunity to get more known about Hanji and to introduce the fact that this Australian lady loves doing a traditional Korean craft.  I didn't have many small pieces left in my studio so I worked really hard over the ensuing weeks to get everything done in the time frame I'd been given, and at the same time, making sure I had pieces that would travel well as I had to carry everything in my personal luggage on the plane trips over and back. I photographed everything, packed them up very carefully and I, along with Ron my trusty husband and helper, headed for Melbourne on a 6 am flight last Friday, with o...

A Korean take on what I'm doing .......  Here's an article that was written for the Yonhap Newspaper in Sydney by Ki Sung Kim.  He was a very friendly interviewer and we spent close to 45 mins chatting.  The article was written in Korean and has been translated thanks to  Jin Youn Kim. A little has been lost, or slightly misinterpreted in translation but it gives you the basics and his twist on it.   An Australian Female Hanji Missionary Coveney, "Amazed at Practicality" Jan Coveney, an Australian female 'hanji missionary' is posing for photo with one of her pieces displayed at the Korean Cultural Center, Sydney on 14, February.       "Most of the people around me have not even heard of Hanji craft but they get interested in it when they receive presents made of the Korean traditional paper and see the endless potential of the material." Jan Coveney, an Adelaidean woman, has been spreading out the artis...

  K- Paper (Hanji) Culture Festival   from 15 Feb - 29 Feb, 2016 at the Korean Cultural Centre, Sydney, Australia more information at info@koreanculture.org.au Ph: 02 8267 3400 15 Feb.               - Opening & Hanji Fashion Show 15 Feb - 29 Feb - Hanji Craft Exhibition 15 Feb - 16 Feb - Workshop experiences 15 Feb - 16 Feb - Paper Market I'll be there as I've been asked to be involved in the Festival, so as the only non Korean  I feel extremely privileged that they will have 5 of my pieces at the exhibition for the 2 weeks of the festival. I'm delighted and I can't help but reflect on what a wonderful way to help improve relations between Australia and South Korea by being able to appreciate the respective Cultures and their Arts. 'People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness...

My Hanji exhibition is officially open and it was a memorable evening on Thursday night when people gathered around at Mrs Harris' Art Studio to  look at Hanji crafts. There was a wonderful atmosphere of anticipation as people came by to see what Hanji was all about, to have drinks & nibbles and to hear some impromptu speeches in an informal setting outside the shop.  Here in Australia, the Thursday before Easter is NOT the ideal time to have an Exhibition opening. Many people take the opportunity to escape the city for the 4 day holiday break but with time restraints on getting the Exhibition set up, and to have it open for a full month before I head to Korea, the Gallery owner and myself took a gamble and were pleasantly surprised at the turn out it attracted.  Family, friends and strangers came and were amazed at the broad range of articles that can be made with Hanji and were fascinated by it's lightness, durability and practicality for everyday use...