“Gisaeng Drumming in Spring”
January 2020

One of the most fascinating things about Korea to me as an American is the historical culture. There are many things that I have found myself drawn to over the years within the culture! For instance, I LOVE the use of color in architecture, and I adore the patterns that occur on structures and fashion.

Korea’s use of color is extraordinary! All things considered, as a society, it has been an “underdog” for much of its existence. It’s been a vassal state to China or Japan since the dawn of time, and was often fighting or warring against itself or others. And, truth be told, in this modern age, Korea just may be stronger than ever.

While it is oh so much more common to see Kpop performances on TV or about town randomly in Korea, on several instances I’ve had the pleasure to experience traditional performances. Especially memorable is an instance in Insadong, which is an older traditional shopping street. It is full of shops selling handicrafts that I used to buy and bring back as souvenirs when visiting my family. There I once saw a full samulnori group with their drums and traditional hanbok. One of them was dressed as a hunter or trapper, and had a basket on his back with beanie babies hanging out where once would have hung animal pelts. I still giggle when I think about that modern interpretation. Some had the hats with the giant colorful pom-poms bursting out like flowers. A couple of them had the special hat with the giant white ribbon that danced around them much like the ribbon dancers that were all the rage when I was a kid.

The movement and flow reminds me of a painting that Richard, my husband showed me on our first date. Shortly after he arrived in Korea, he’d gone to the bank to set up his accounts. The bank manager was very friendly and loved to practice his English with foreigners who came into his branch. He’d invited Richard and several others who were new to the country to go on a day of adventure during the weekend when he was off. They went water skiing on the Han River and after a few runs, they went for a hike.

In getting him to retell this story, we went on a mad search trying to find where exactly this hike was, as his biggest clues were it was near a dam and was by a mountain with a “skinny buddha”. I couldn’t let the ambiguity go, and in our googling realized it was the Sujongsa or “Water Bell” Temple. The foundations date back to at least 1439, and the name comes from the famous King Sejong who stayed a night. When hearing water drops falling in a rock cave, he likened it to a water bell. After Richard greeted the Buddha in traditional fashion, he hiked to the top of the mountain. Crowded due to it being a weekend, he saw a long line up at the top.

The line lead to an older Korean man with a long beard and a big ink paintbrush. Creating simple calligraphy, he was giving them away for free Richard said it was quite a wait and that he was the only one in his group with the patience to walk away with a piece. A simple ink calligraphy line drawing, he had asked the master to paint the spirit of Korea.

I bring up this story because, like the calligraphy master, I too want to paint images that evoke such powerful feelings, and capture what I felt living there. Moreover, I want my paintings to move and dance off the canvas and into the imagination of the viewer. An artist can create whatever world they want with their art, and there is very little to bind them to what is “real”. I wanted to envision my own fantasy or fairytale of spring and the cherry blossom season. The subject is a lovely gisaeng, the traditional woman of the arts.

A long time ago when I was new to art I created a mural in our living room that featured a gisaeng. I don’t believe I’ve painted one since.

In my most recent painting, a lady is playing an hourglass drum called a janggu. Looking like a flower, she gracefully moves, swirls and dances around in the wind. With large arm movements and drum strikes, the story is told. More and more delicate petals, tapped by her drumsticks and shaken from the vibrations of the drum, fall from the tree. She’s blanketing the world with petals of spring, in an effort to warm it up in preparation for the coming summer.

This artwork is a one of a kind piece hand painted by Steph Ishler of Hallyu Back. All artwork is for sale unless otherwise specified. If you are interested in purchasing this original painting, contact us here!

In addition, you can also inquire about artwork by emailing this address: stephishler [at] gmail [dot] com ^^