About The Artist

Hyeonggon Kim was born in Kangwondo, South Korea in 1970 and grew up in Seoul City. He began studying art in high school. During this time, he studied charcoal pencil drawing with a focus on basic form, and traditional Korean painting at an art institute. After that, he entered In-cheon University, where he studied more specifically traditional Korean painting. Later, he entered the graduate program, where he was a student as well as a teaching assistant for three years in the fine art department. He received a BFA in 1997 and an MFA of Fine Art painting from In-cheon University. After receiving his MFA in 2002, he decided to continue his studies in the United States because he wanted to focus more on western traditional oil painting. So that’s why he received MFA in 2007 of Fine Art Painting from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. All of his artwork is done with oil paints on canvas. The paintings now, he is drawing is modified and recreated from the Western / European classic style of painting. The materials that he used for his paintings are mainly oil-based paint on canvas. Depends on the propensity, He sometimes use different materials. The themes and of his recent paintings are not the traditional Korean-contemporary style. He has been drawing for a long time. Studying fine arts in the States, he has opened eyes in drawing for Figure in landscape, Portraits, and Cityscape. From the foundation of classicism subject and theme, his drawings are descriptive and realistic with the contrast of transparency and chroma. Since 2007, he has been exhibition his work in Seoul. South Korea, Germany, Japan and United States. He has won several awards in national and international major competitions including ‘47th annual New York Society of Illustrators Scholarship Competition, New York (2006)’, ‘Certificate of Excellence in Portrait Society of America, Chicago (2006)’, ‘Selected in Oil Painter of America, Fredericksburg (2007)’, ‘Honor in International art contest Salon 2008, Tamarac, Fl (2008)’, ‘First Place of MFA Painting in Spring Show, Academy of Art University, San Francisco (2008)’, and ‘Honorable Mention for Artistic Excellence and Jury's Top Fifty award s from the International Salon, San Antonio, Texas (2008)’. He was an instructor of drawing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and. Now he is living in Seoul Korea and is currently instructor at Chonnam University, Gwangju and Incheon University in South Korea.