Wonsook Kim

Lines of Enchantment

University Galleries

Normal, IL


Wonsook Kim's showcase, Lines of Enchantment, at University Galleries can be summed up by one word; magical. From the subject matter to the medium, her work is enchanting and engaging. Kim takes the viewer to a space where childlike fantasies and storybook qualities collide, through her glowing illustrations. Much of her work uses a technique where orbs of light are painting over the surface of the painting, creating an illusion of the painting literally glowing, perhaps from fireflies or holes where light shines through the canvas. Regardless, it successfully draws the viewer in, and adds to the magical and mystical attributes of the work.


Kim was born in Korea in 1953, and moved to the United States in 1972. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Illinois State University in 1976. Since then, she has displayed her work around the world, including New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Paris, Seoul, Bologna, Sofia, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo. 

Forest Scenes II, 2008. Mixed media on canvas, 54 x 70 in. (137 x 177 cm)

Her impressive resume is no surprise, given the enchanting affect her artwork has on the viewer.  

Eyes on Me, 2011. Cast bronze, 38 x 26 in. (97 x 67 cm)

Her subject matter focuses heavily on femininity, and the almost narrative experiences of reoccurring female figures. Some are portrayed as angelic, others are carved out of metal and wood. But each piece of work maintains a soft and delicate representation of the female figure.

The contrasting colors- cool, dark background and bright, warm foreground- create a glowing affect. The figures seem to radiate off the page, and float within their setting. 

It's also interesting to note some figures hold paintbrushes, seeming to be the creators of the light orbs filling the canvas. This is a unique interaction with subject matter and painting, setting up the subject matter to be the creator of the work. 

Kim explains the inspiration for this series from listening to Robert Schuman's piano music collection, titled "Forest Scenes". Kim creates a narrative for this music, a visualization to describe a story without words.

Overall, Wonsook Kim's showcase was enchanting and engaging for the viewer. Her wide variety of mediums, from cast bronze, to paintings to drawings demonstrate the artist's wide range of skill sets, while maintaining a fluidity and connectedness through the body of work selected for the show.

Carry On, Rob Swainston

Cara Shapkauski
Formal Analysis
12 September 2016
Jason Judd

Carry On
Rob Swainston
Woodblock print on paper

Viewed at University Galleries, Normal, IL on September 6th, 2016.

Rob Swainston's piece Carry On was created in 2015, made from a woodblock print on paper. The piece is long, stretching vertically 198x51.5 inches, allowing the eyes to travel up and down the piece in a fluid motion. The piece, part of the series We thought they thought what we thought, but they didn't, was on view at University Galleries in Normal, Illinois until September 9th.

There are many qualities the piece has that allows the viewer to feel engulfed in the work. One of these factors is the size of the work. Carry On is a gigantic piece, standing double or triple the size of most viewers. This factor brings a sense of scale to the viewer, and creates a sense of presence, standing in the rubble and wreckage illustrated on the paper. The stairs traveling down the piece, and figures seen walking down the piece moving towards a ground zero, give the impression some disastrous event has happened to the city. The title, Carry On, suggests the figures are looking to move on, past the rubble the viewer sees them in currently.

It is interesting to note that Carry On is a combination of the triptych But They Didn't, now stacked and stripped of color. By making the piece monochromatic, it allows the viewer to focus more on the details that unite these pieces, instead of separating them as previously displayed.

Barry Blinderman describes Swainston's work as "evocative of some of the finest moments in art history: Han Dynasty printing on silk, early Renaissance military scenes, Hokusai's waves, Clifford Still's dark-hued paintings..." which perfectly illustrates the dedication and familiarity Swainston creates through his work, presented in a new, refreshing medium. His work is successful in firmly grabbing the attention of the viewer and urging them to stay a little longer.