Today, we gathered at the Night Heron watercolor artists' group to remember and honor a very special person—artist Mary Jo. She was always kind, warm, and never without a gentle smile. I especially remember how she took care of new members, making sure they felt welcomed and at ease, often striking up conversation and offering thoughtful encouragement.
One personal memory I hold dear is the time I was painting a candle. She came by, looked at it, and gave it a beautiful title. It was a small moment, but one that revealed her deep sensitivity and love for art. That’s the kind of artist she was—graceful, intuitive, and generous with her spirit.
Though it saddens me that we can no longer see her or her artwork, I like to believe she now rests peacefully within the world of art she cherished so deeply. The colors she loved, the nature she painted, and the joy she brought into her work—those things remain.
Today’s gathering was a quiet and heartfelt tribute. Coming from a Korean background, where funerals are often filled with weeping and sorrow, I found the Western way of remembrance very different—more calm and reflective. We shared a breakfast, exchanged memories, and took a group photo in her honor. It was simple, but deeply meaningful.
Mary Jo showed us the dignity and passion of being an artist. Her legacy will live on in every brushstroke and every memory she left behind. May she rest in peace, forever surrounded by the colors and beauty she loved so much.

​Henri Matisse was a French painter. He is one of the important artists active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is also the founder of Fauvism, which dominated the 20th century.

His work provides a visual experience through the combination of color and form, and he is one of the key figures who led the hyper-realism movement through the post-impressionism and surrealism movements.

Matisse persuaded his father, who wanted to become a lawyer, to give him permission to study art in Paris for just one year. Matisse immediately visited Professor William-Adolph Bouguereau, the most famous professor at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Paris.

Because Matisse started painting late, he was an inferior student who could not even use the basic techniques that other art students had already mastered. The technique that could be recognized by Booger Hou was at the master level. Bugerhou even told Matisse, “You will never be able to do it.” Matisse was devastated. Because what Booger Hou said was right.

Matisse sought a new path in his despair. He went to the Louvre Museum, looked closely at the paintings of the masters, and even drew accordingly. He also explored his own style by going outside and looking honestly at the scenery around him. Above all, the feast of nature, which seemed to be dyed with abundant sunlight, stimulated Matisse's sense of vision. He perfected his own color and style through concern, exploration, and passion. Unlike the achromatic paintings of his existing art world, he chose primary colors as his base painting style.
Later in his life, Matisse became a leading painter of a new painting grammar, and, recalling his youth, Matisse said, “Freedom is choosing the path that one’s talent leads.” Matisse's creation began with his recognition of his own limitations, standing shabby in front of the castle of success achieved by others. At the same time, he turned this despair into his success by finding an area that he wanted to do and was good at and focusing on it.
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​Matisse gave me great courage when I felt limited by seeing the paintings of geniuses. Looking at his paintings, you once again realize that there are no limits to expressing yourself through painting. You also learn that finding and perfecting your own style is entirely your own battle.

Image reference:
https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2016/10/Chien-Chung-Wei.html

​Chien Chung-Wei is a Taiwanese watercolor painter who creates paintings with a romantic, understated, and classical feel. Among his landscape paintings, I especially like the ones depicting cities. His paintings seem to resemble oil paintings, but they express well the softly spreading glare that only watercolors can express. I think this is the charm of his paintings.

American painter Winslow Homer was born in Boston in 1836. Homer's mother was an amateur watercolor painter, and through her influence, Homer was naturally exposed to art as a child and developed his talent.

During the Civil War, he gained fame as a war documentary painter, but later learned watercolor painting at an evening art school and painted landscapes and genre paintings throughout the East and South throughout his life. And he received absolute support from the public through his lyrical expressions of popular topics.

At first, Homer started with oil paintings, but in the 1870s, he

 He begins painting in watercolor, exploring the effects of bright, transparent paints.

At a time when most painters painted more oil paintings. Watercolor painting was perceived by artists as a simple preparatory painting, but Homer was the first painter to exhibit watercolor paintings as completed works.

As a result, watercolor quickly emerged as a major art medium.  He mainly painted the sea, sheltering from the storm in a small cabin. He devoted himself to expressing the intensity, tranquility, and mysterious atmosphere of the sea. These are the works of his later years that were created in this way. He will rise to the ranks of America's great masters.

I would like to introduce Sergey Temerev as the artist who expresses the sky most beautifully and dynamically among watercolor artists.

​As a professor at St. Petersburg State University, he teaches students and engages in exhibitions and other activities as an artist.

Image reference: ​http://temerevart.com/

​When I look at his paintings, I get the feeling that watercolor has no limits. If you want to draw a wonderful sky, it would be a good idea to study his work.