Kyung Eun Kim is from Seoul, South Korea and has been studying at ELC Los Angeles since March. In Korea, Kyung studies art and has created several beautiful and impressive sculptures. When she goes back to Korea, she will continue to create artwork and finish her last year at university.
Kyung chose to study in Los Angeles because she believes being able to speak English is a good skill to have that opens up job opportunities. She wants to work at a museum, or have a job in the art industry, and says that English is very useful in this field.
Kyung absolutely loves Los Angeles — she cannot pick just one favorite thing about the city. She enjoys the great weather, and appreciates LA’s great diversity, which gives her the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Studying at ELC, Kyung has made many international friends, too! Last but not least, she loves all the free art museums in the city — The Hammer Museum, The Getty, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and more!
Kyung specializes in stone art, and describes her art style as abstract. She begins her projects with a big block of stone, and then sands and cuts the block to shape. Her pieces take about three months to complete, and she usually works on several pieces at once.
Kyung knew she wanted to be an artist at a very young age. She was very gifted even as a child, but she did not start seriously pursuing art until about 10 years ago when she began creating stone art and later studying Art at university.
One of Kyung’s favorite artists is Van Gogh. She visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and enjoyed learning about Van Gogh’s life and seeing his artwork: “His life was very sad, but his artwork is beautiful.” Kyung also had the opportunity to see Van Gogh’s “Irises” at the Getty Museum here in Los Angeles, one of his most famous and very beautiful piece.
One of Kyung’s favorite pieces is Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker.” She says the piece is beautifully executed and of very great quality.
Kyung is not currently working on any projects as she is focusing on improving her English in class. Every day she thinks about all of the art she will create when she goes home to finish her last year in university.
Kyung says that art is more popular and respected in Los Angeles than in Korea, and has enjoyed the culture here in LA. Her favorite spot here is the beach, she hopes to learn how to surf! At ELC, teacher Jade has been very helpful in helping Kyung improve her English: “She is very good at explaining and easy to understand.”
Kyung is a very talented artist and compassionate student. We have enjoyed having her at ELC and wish her the best in the future! Maybe one day we’ll see her art featured at the Hammer Museum!
