become a painter

Portrait by Stella Han

My first dream was to become a painter when I was five. As I grew older my passions became varied, yet they were always art related; whether it was being an art teacher, comic artist, or illustrator and so on. I had my first opportunity to learn painting when I was in the 2nd grade, however after two sessions, it was unfortunately cancelled due to low enrolment.

My second artistic opportunity came when I was in the 9th grade. At first I was ecstatic, though soon enough I became disappointed. The teacher merely directed me in how to trace and lacked any traditional skill training. The fees for the class became too much for my parents, and again I was forced to leave.

By the time college rolled around I had to create and manage my portfolio all by myself and luckily I was accepted in School of Visual Arts in New York. I was truly excited to learn ‘real’ art. Once again, it was a discouraging experience because my painting professor told me: “Skills don’t matter.” All I learned from there was to paint and draw without any direction. The only feedback I received from my professors was: “That’s good.” I yearned to learn more about how the old masters created their stunning works, and wanted to discover their rigorous methods and skills; however I simply couldn’t find the answers to my questions. …