A Fruitful Patience The Work of Kye-yeon Son

摘要

Kye-yeon Son makes a fine ambassador for Canada. The country's multi-cultural society allows immigrants to celebrate their traditions while embracing North American ways. The work Son has created in the past two decades is a beautiful fusion of the Korean aesthetic with an expressiveness that reflects her North American experience. Son's talent surfaced in the 1960s, during her elementary school years in Seoul. She attributes her artistic sensibility to her mother, Sang Soon Choi. "She has the eye for design, and the patience." In high school Son focused on art, following a grueling schedule in order to gain a place in Korea's national university, where tuition is about one-tenth that of a private school. Her mother woke her at four a.m., believing early morning to be the best time to study. A full day in school was followed by drawing, design and English classes late into the evening. When Son expressed concern about what these extra lessons were costing her family, her father, Young Zo Son, joked that he'd "sell his pants" if necessary. The family's efforts succeeded and Son began work on her BFA in Applied Art and Design at Seoul National University in 1975. In her third year she switched to craft. It was choice by default-she felt she didn't have the competitive personality to succeed as a graphic designer and also believed it would be easier to combine a career in craft with having a family.