Read more
U Lee-Johnson describes her life in stunning emotionally charged abstract paintings that describe the exhilaration of a surgery that corrected a disfigurement, the joys of being a parent, the horrors of a mental hospital, and the serine beauty of the Caribbean. This is a staggering journey into the philosophy and soul of a person. The paintings are charged with feelings and the accompanying text sets a unique context for the meaning of the paintings.
U Lee-Johnson was born disfigured, one eye did not develop, into a society that stigmatized handicap. Her mother suffered stress and severe malnutrition during the Korean War. The book illustrates screams, conflict, and shame with parents, a surgery that opened the door to social life, adolescence, mid-life mental breakdown, divorce, and recovery. The later chapters have paintings depicting sailing a sailboat through the Caribbean, an interest in Fractal geometry, and even geological rocks called Tafoni.
About the author
Ms. Lee-Johnson was born in Korea and studied in France, Germany, Korea, and the USA. Her books "My Life" and "Life Through the Windows" collect together paintings with a brief story of how each painting conveys the feelings and emotions at that time. There is despair in some paintings and joy in others. Her work celebrates the love of mathematics and nature in the context of cultural differences and abstraction. "It is a magical moment to create the natural look" from inanimate materials.Her art reflects the intercultural influences provided by her international studies and travel. She holds a BFA in Interior Architecture from the Parsons School of Design and a German literature and language major from Ewha Woman's University Seoul. She worked as an Interior Architect in New York City. She further studied at the Art Student League New York, and L'Academie Charpentier in Paris France. She paints full-time from her Studios in New York City, Puerto Rico, and Italy.
