Paper Stained Glass

The great expressionist artist Marc Chagall has said that “ For me a Stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world.” 

Working in my balcony studio has shown me how real and essential it is to create alongside the sun, wind, and air. With plenty of direct sun in Southern California, this space has allowed me to see and think through my artwork in the context of light. Working with semi-transparent material has allowed me to witness colors transformed by bright sun, and has reminded me of the sacred experience of being in stained-glass cathedrals, with the presence of the Holy.

I work with thin mulberry paper which is highly absorbent but very fragile at the same time. Traditionally, mulberry paper was used for windows and doors in Korea and amazingly could last over hundreds of years despite the fragility of the paper. I’ve adapted the process in my own way, painting with acrylic paint, watercolor, and ink on both sides of the paper to make material that is overlapped, smudged, and resistant to different mediums. Then I layer a thin coat of transparent gel on both sides. Each step involves labor and waiting, but results in turning a fragile paper into something more durable and waterproof. This process has taught me to have the posture of a farmer: to sow seeds, to water, to fertilize, to wait and to pay attention to the wind and rain.  Through it all, I create pieces like icons in a cathedral that are used for communal liturgy.

 The choices of colors are like drawing water from a deep well of my heart. The qualities of fragility and transparency describe not only this thin calligraphy paper but also my heart and soul. The artwork becomes my transcended self—connecting inside and outside, letting the wind shake it and sun pass through it, showing not only vividly colored front but the textures and colors of it’s back at the same time. This state of being vulnerable makes the color and texture to glow and be fully alive.

Here, I say “For me, a Paper Stained Glass transcends myself, receiving God’s glory and sending it to the world.”