Purple Mountain Majesty II, Kang Lee Sheppard, Sumi Ink on Rice Paper
Artist Statement
I came to Colorado Springs in the spring of 1967 to study western art. After receiving my BFA degree in Asian Art in Korea, my dream was to extend my art knowledge by pursuing graduate studies in the US. I had been trained in the Eastern tradition to create appearance in aesthetic and pursue infinity expression and I wanted to infuse that with Western artistic expression.
In Asian art, white negative space reflects the implicit and introverted characteristics of Asian painting. On rice paper, I grind my own black ink (called Sumie – Japanese, Muk – Korean) and use only natural colors from Korea to mix and create our beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains in pursuit of my own art style.
In the past thirty years, I have volunteered to teach free classes to help our city’s art society and for it to grow. I am the founder of The Sheppard art institute.
