Over the summer, I have been fixated on the aesthetic aspects of red crowned cranes. I was drawn to the contrast between the colors of their feathers (the red against white and black) and the elegance in their physique. This attractive combination allows me to draw these birds in abstract and minimal compositions that captures their physical essence. My preferred medium would be primarily in 2D, hand drawn using charcoals, colored pencils, pen and ink, and watercolor. The only digital rendering done would be when I want to finalize each composition for it’s presentation. This series of abstracted red crowned cranes, or Durumi in Korean, strongly ties back to my Korean heritage and my growing interest in minimalism. These cranes traditionally hold the symbolic meaning of immortality, peace, heaven, and serenity. With my illustrations, I would like to juxtapose these meanings with distorted and minimal drawings of the same cranes onto fabrics and painted panels for decorative purposes.
