Exhibit features the best artwork from 50 EdCC students
Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 4, 2019
Something just clicked when Young-Mi Cho saw Roy Lichtenstein’s artwork.
Lichtenstein became famous in the 1960s for his tongue-in-cheek pop art inspired by comic strips, such as the famous “Whaam!” painting of a fighter plane firing a rocket at another plane.
Cho, an international student at Edmonds Community College, immediately fell in love with his style because it reminded her of a Japanese anime series called “Candy Candy” she watched as a kid in South Korea.
Cho put her own spin on Lichtenstein’s technique with her painting, “Don’t Cry,” which will be featured in an annual Student Art Exhibit on display in EdCC’s art gallery through mid-June. The show includes more than 100 works by 50 students, including painting, pottery, jewelry, sculpture and photography.
Her painting shows a crying blonde woman being comforted by a pink water lily. The woman’s appearance mixes the styles of anime and that of Lichtenstein’s comic strips. It’s also Cho’s version of the main character from the TV show “Candy Candy.”
The painting, with the theme “consolation,” is meant to reflect how Lichtenstein’s work makes her feel.
“I wanted to describe a woman’s face with happy tears,” she said. “I was comforted by Lichtenstein’s work, and I want to express that to the viewers.”
Cho, 51, who has a degree in English education from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, decided to go back to school with plans to study either psychology or art. She chose art.
Audineh Asaf, curator of the student art exhibit and co-chairwoman of the Visual Arts department, said the show gives students the chance to be seen in a professional setting. Only work by the most dedicated and committed students is put on display.
“Instructors select the artwork and target students who are active in the art community and really could use the opportunity,” Asaf said. “I’m just impressed with the quality of work that’s exhibited this year.”
Wendy Dith’s abstract painting in acrylic, “H.E.R. Question,” is also featured in the exhibit. Dith, 18, made the painting for an assignment in her 2D design class. The goal was to take a song or a sound and interpret it via color, shapes and lines.
She chose “Still Down” by Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R. for its mellow basslines, wavy melodies and soothing vocals.
“If her voice was tangible, it would be a rolling pour of luxurious honey,” said Dith, a Meadowdale High School graduate. “I decided to make a massive collection of wavy shapes and lines that weave into one another because while there are many different layers to the song, everything seamlessly intertwined.”
The painting’s features various shades of blue, violet and red to reflect the song’s laid-back groove and R&B as a whole.
Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.
If you go
Edmonds Community College’s annual Student Art Exhibit is on display through June 14 on the third floor of Lynnwood Hall at 20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood.
The gallery is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
An artists reception is set for 3 to 5 p.m. May 31 in the gallery. In addition to answering questions about their work, students also will be doing art demonstrations.
More at www.edcc.edu/gallery.
