"Try to be like the turtle - at ease in your own shell." -- Bill Copeland 

Lydia Kim has been been drawing for as long as she can remember. She grew up with a serious illness and spent much of her childhood in the hospital. Drawing served as an outlet for her, bringing her peace and distraction.  

Lydia says there was no doubt as she grew up that she wanted to be an artist.  She studied oriental painting extensively as a college student in South Korea and then went on to study art therapy in graduate school. Lydia recalls:

Throughout my studies, I met with many patients who had emotional scars. By experiencing art with the patients, I began to understand art at a deeper level and my paintings began to be more honest and expressive of my inner-self. Instead of painting simply for aesthetics and beauty, it became more important to me to convey honesty and a quiet image of my soul.

To create these pieces, Lydia uses a Korean mulberry paper and pigments mixed with a glue base. She paints the backgrounds with many layers and different colors, searching for the right shade. This solid blue background takes our turtle out of its native environment, allowing Lydia to project her emotions and feelings onto him. He floats along in the top left of the canvas, solemn, proud and driven.