The nature depicted by artist Kim Bo-hie looks familiar to many with common motifs such as leaves, trees and flowers.

But what captures the viewers’ attention are the details ― such as an exotic-looking florescent blue lizard on a tree or colorful birds ― that bring life to her works.

The exotic animals and the common natural motifs break the usual images viewers associate with nature paintings. 

Her “Towards” series is a mix of the nature she saw in Jeju, Korea and foreign countries during her travels. The 19 paintings of the series are currently on display at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul.

For six years, Kim has been capturing close views of nature such as leaves of Ravenala, the so-called Traveler’s Tree, and a variety of tropical plants.

“The closer I get to nature, the better I feel from it. So I named my series ‘Towards,’ which means l am stepping closer to it,” said Kim.

Kim finds most of her inspiration on Jeju Island, where she spends most of her time painting. But she travels back and forth between Jeju and Seoul because of her teaching job at Ewha Womans University.

“I feel like Jeju is my home and Seoul is just a place I stay temporarily,” said Kim.

One of her notable works inspired by the Jeju landscape is the painting series of Jeju’s emerald sea. The paintings are displayed in a separate corner room of the gallery and viewers stepping into area instantly feel they have stepped onto a beach on Jeju Island.

“I would like the viewers to feel the same overwhelming emotion I felt when I first saw the scenes of nature,” said Kim.

The vivid greens, created from a blend of Oriental paints, also offer natural shades in a variety of lush plants.

“I try to use any paint I can use whether it’s Oriental paint or acrylic or oil paints. I use anything that can be mixed with water and that are needed for my paintings,” said Kim.

“I teach students that what remains in the end is the artist, not Oriental or Western paintings,” Kim added.

The exhibition “Towards” runs through June 9 at Hakgojae Gallery, Jongno, Seoul.

For more information, call (02) 720-1524.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)