Korean-born artist David Choong Lee's intricate mixed-media paintings and collages merge photorealistic elements with graphic design and patterns to develop his own unique style. He draws from a classical figural style which he juxtaposes with vibrant graffiti elements. The San Francisco-based artist has been shown in galleries throughout California, as well as New York, Portland, Canada, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Ink Drawing/Painting: Drawing with an eye-dropper and sumi-e ink, l aim to reproduce, not so much the reality, rather it’s sentiment or felt nature, which in Japanese can be called Kokoro mochi — the moving spirit. The uncontrollability of the eyedropper impels me to work swiftly and from an inner connection. This means I discover later which pieces may have captured the animating spirit. It also means I throw away a lot.

  I also find myself going back to the initial drawing to tease out with a brush and wash what narrative may be found in the impression of some pieces. The wash tends to flood the scene with an atmosphere and begins to tie together disparate parts of a drawing. The development of this process is leads me to follow what narrative may be found in layering drawings with wash in a larger context. Exploration of what may be found in a drawing, what might happen there, what story is being told that I cannot know yet, this is what interests me and keeps me in the process. 

I am a contemporary artist from the United Kingdom who specialises in complex, surreal oil paintings.

I paint to express my love for my children, family and friends, to express my excitement for life and its abundance.  I paint to express my happiness and my sorrows. 

I paint intuitively, but every painting has a story; a story that overflows with emotions. One day I paint flowers blooming and dancing for my mother, for a sick friend who has cancer, or sometimes just to say hello to a stranger! Another day, I paint the ocean, its extreme beauty and complexity, its abundance and its harmony.  And when I paint the figure, I ponder on who we are; I ponder on our complex emotions.

In the process of painting intuitively, I venture into a world of extraordinary discoveries, and one of these discoveries is whatever my feelings of the moment are, happiness or sorrow, I paint vibrant and colorful paintings full of life and excitement!  How can this be?  I choose to surrender to the process, and secretly dare to believe that perhaps I am meant to send all this creative energy to the world, to heal and to inspire.  Silently, this energy will ripple just like the flapping of a butterfly’ wings from far away.

Johane Amirault, 

Contemporary Artist

My current abstract works are predominantly influenced by my interest in forms, textures and design elements found in architecture, nature, and clothes.

Now days, I mostly work in Acrylic and Mixed Media on canvas and paper.  I thrive on the challenge of creating most of my paintings with just 2 to 3 colors; while my color palate is limited, my color range is not-I have used pretty much every color in the palate. It is true that most of my works are very colorful and vibrant, but I have also painted black and whites. In my current works, I use embossing techniques and materials like hand-made paper, sand and pieces of some of my old works to create interesting design elements and textures. 

My creative process typically begins when I become inspired by a certain interesting design, shape, form or pattern. I then cover the canvas rather intuitively, inserting elements of the subject matter. I mostly work from memories but sometime view personally photographed images for reference and inspiration. This gives me a start but what the end result is going to be is a whole different, exciting and sometimes frustrating story.

If you'd like to see or want to know more about my works, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Wong sees color as a mechanism of infinite variety with which to capture the complexities of daily life.  Layering texture and paint in an effort to hide one world from the other, she finds that the subterfuge at the intersection of pain and privilege allows art making to become a symbol of redemption.  Her collectors see something of themselves and their own search for meaning in her work.  According to Wong, "All of nature is alternatively destined either for destruction or for a dance, and I want to catch a moment in that process."

I am showing in SOMA with photographer, Gwen Fuller and abstract painter, Rick Fisher:

My photography shows what I see in my daily life. I try my best to look for offbeat, Americana, or anything that strikes me as odd or different. 

I am an abstract expressionist painter, influenced by the New York painters of the 50's and 60's, especially Franz Kline. I get most of my ideas from the real world where I may see something that interests me and looks like it would make a good painting. I try to remember it, or make a quick sketch if I can. Then I make it into a design that will fit my style. Sometimes it comes out like I imagined it, and sometimes it comes out quite differently.

I'm showing in SOMA with Gwen Fuller and Mark Toal. 

I am showing in SOMA with photographer, Mark Toal and abstract painter, Rick Fisher:

My limited-edition, signed, photographic and mixed-media images, are printed on paper or aluminum, and fall into two categories:

First, my botanical series, combines my love of nature with my passion for music. 

Second, my painterly series, presents fine-art prints of my original acrylic and mixed-media abstracts.

Original Art Made of Hand Drawn Lines

LineScaping is a series of original paintings and drawings created by lines. It features a minimalist abstraction with a distinctive style. All lines are drawn freehand one by one, unlike one may suspect it computer assisted.

Abstract Art

What do you see in abstract art? There's no incorrect answer to what you should see in abstract art. Use imagination. Make up your own story and be convinced with it. Your story is the subjective truth you live with. Ultimately, it's not only about abstract art, but also everything in life is about how you view things.