A regular at Nucleus, You Byun, makes another appearance, this time exhibiting with twelve other artists in Baker's Dozen running now through July 4th. She has quite a well-cultured background, her youth spent traveling between the US, Japan and Korea, and her BFA in graphic design earned from Hongik University in Seoul. She later graduated from the School of Visual Arts in Brooklyn, and has since become a masterful illustrator, creating imaginative worlds filled with young girls, curious monsters, and flourishing environments, all of which are encoded with lush pastel colors.

Her works are reminiscent of childhood, managing to capture the allure of curiosity and innocence, a quality achieved through intuitive mark-makings and characters drawn from youthful imaginations. In today's spotlight, Byun answered some of Nucleus' questions.


 
N: What do you hope to communicate to your audience?
YB: I'd like to give them some cheerful messages - or happiness, hope, and peace.

N: How has your work evolved or changed in the last 5 years?
YB: My work is still very decorative and busy though, it actually has became more simple.

N: What was your proudest moment?
YB: I guess I should be honest.... When my mom said she is proud of me. Or when she says I'm a genius painter (fyi - she didn't study art).



Byun's projects have included editorial assignments for magazines Plan Adviser, Plan Sponsor, and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Her work has been featured in Communication Arts, Creative Quarterly, AI-AP, and has won acclaim from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Tomie DePaola Illustrator Award.

N: What is your earliest memory of making art?
YB: I don't remember how old i was, probably age 3, but i remember i was drawing a purple faced people with crayon. Where do you turn to for inspiration? – Books, Essay, articles and conversations with people.

N: Ok, here's something fun..what would be your dream project? If you could do anything with an unlimited budget?
YB: Oh I want to make an amusement park!!! With forest, animals, creatures, flowers, snowflakes, candies, butterflies, clouds, ....lists go on. Maybe no riding machines, more like a huge camping space - I want to built a fantasy land.

N: Sounds fun! Now something silly, list 5 things, random musings/ facts/ etc. you think we should know.
YB:

• I like tea. White tea is my favorite, but I like Genmaicha as well. Recently I am into Black tea with soymilk.
• I like to draw murals someday. I'm not one of those cool street artist - so, let me draw if you have a wall!
• I get depressed if I 1) don't drink enough water, 2) don't go out for a whole day, and 3) don't dress up nicely (and of course, it's very personal perspective).
• I should be more tidy.
• I should eat less chocolate.

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