{"id":38870,"date":"2018-09-29T09:41:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T15:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=38870"},"modified":"2018-10-25T14:25:15","modified_gmt":"2018-10-25T20:25:15","slug":"finding-a-home-oonju-chuns-journey-into-blank-canvases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/finding-a-home-oonju-chuns-journey-into-blank-canvases\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding a Home: Oonju Chun\u2019s Journey Into Blank Canvases"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Oonju<\/a>

Oonju Chun in her new studio in Eden, photo by Simon Blundell.<\/p><\/div>\n

During lunch at Kyoto, painter Oonju Chun asks, \u201cWhy do we say, \u2018If I were . . .\u2019 instead of \u2018If I was . . .?\u201d\u2019 — one of those nitpicky English questions a writer hates to answer with \u201cUmmmm . . .\u201c * But does. So, it was surprising to learn that Chun, who arrived \u00a0in Portland, Oregon, from South Korea at age 15 had begun her American education without knowing the language she now speaks beautifully. \u201cI started school with not a word of English,\u201d Chun recalls, \u201cnot a word. It was a huge cultural shock and the language barrier was a tremendous thing for me to overcome.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Chun\u2019s solo show at Phillips Gallery, up through Oct. 12, is a pleasantly dizzying presentation of her abstract work: mostly joyous splashes of color (primarily primary, and always in oil) recklessly daubed on a white canvas. A couple of her diptychs are standouts. \u201cI prefer to paint on large-size canvases in a loose, painterly application,\u201d she told me once.\u00a0 \u201cI have always found abstract paintings beautiful even when I was little and have been painting full time in this style for about [nine] years.\u201d<\/h4>\n
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“Pink Taxi,” oil on canvas, 56″ x 56″<\/p><\/div>\n

Her titles are evocative: \u201cA Long Night and Cheap Wine\u201d appears on one of just two \u201cdark\u201d canvases in the show. Then there are typically colorful works such as \u201cPink Taxi,\u201d \u201cParallel Construction,\u201d \u201cFrom the Gut,\u201d and \u201cThe Second Chance\u201d which may (or may not) reflect her new life in Eden, Utah, with her new husband, Jim Morgan (retired from aerospace IT at ATK). Children from an earlier marriage include son Chris, a hip-hop music producer in Atlanta, and daughter Tiffany (who has gifted her with a grandson) who graduated from Parson\u2019s School of Design in New York City and now lives in Seattle. They all are close and visit frequently. \u201cWhen they were young, I was their mom, but now I am more their friend,\u201d Chun says. \u201cThey are my favorite people in the world.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Many relatives and Eden friends were at the Phillips\u2019 opening reception and could be overheard admiring Chun\u2019s abstract paintings and noting what they spotted in them, animals, mostly. \u201cThey think they see things in my work,\u201d the artist said quietly with an indulgent smile. \u201cOf course, I just paint what I feel \u2013 there\u2019s nothing to be \u2018seen\u2019 there at all.\u201d<\/h4>\n