Most artists announce that there's nothing more effective and relaxing than getting into the flow of a good painting. It takes your mind off your problems and can have a calming effect similar to meditation. Art-based therapy has proven effective at helping people cope with the stress that it is a helpful mental supportive tool for treating those who have PTSD. 

I also know the healing power of painting to relieve stress, increase attention and creativity, and help you to maximize and focus on the positive aspects of life. And throughout my life, I have seen the healing and recovery functions of painting, and I am proud to say that I still do.

When I was becoming an adult, I found one surprising thing. It's the fact that the person in the world who curses me the most is my mother. I could listen to all the curses of the world on the day whenever I stayed with her in the same room one to one. The intensity of those curses and gossips vary so much that I wondered how a man could torment a man with only human words so creatively.

Looking back, I am always grateful that I grew up so well despite living with a narcissist who only tells with negative words such as devaluing, ignoring, and cursing me and cuts off all relationships around me. For me, that power was the painting.
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 Unfortunately, there are many narcissists with various spectrums in the world, and I meet them without me knowing. Because there are people in the world who support others with words of encouragement and love, but there are also people who always have to dominate through the edge over others and suck the energy of others. That's right. All coexist together. So, at some point, I realized that it wasn't important the person who bothered me with words and was more important to me, the myself who could survive in those words.

 ​Fortunately, Painting allowed me to survive in this world. Even amid such harmful verbal abuse, I can confirm, "No, I am not." It helped me to focus on my present life. And it helped me to hold on to my mentality and live in new hopes and dreams every day. Above all, the most incredible power of painting is that it allows you to recognize and find your inner self. If you continue to be verbally abused by a narcissist, you gaslighting and lose your true nature. Then, if it repeats again and again, traumatically, you may believe the fake facts in the frame the narcissist put on despair to you. That's the result they want. Their purpose is to project their unhappiness and inferiority onto others and see others suffer from withdrawing the negative effects.

But painting is like a shield in their psychological tactics. While looking at the picture or drawing something, you feel something moving inside of you. And such an internal process helps you to can identify yourself relatively accurately. It becomes a mental weapon to remind you that it is not true no matter how much others frame and devalue you.

 In my case, during a difficult time last year, I found solace in the paintings of Philippe Charles Jacquet.

 His paintings have particular forms, and it frequently appears a lonely figure who feels relatively small appears in front of a huge sea landscape with waveless emerald color. If you look at his paintings like this, you can find yourself being immersed into the painting. Looking at the lantern in the lonely house at the end of the sea, I try to soothe my loneliness. Even if the narcissist hates, curses, and makes it hard for you, you feel that the scenery in this picture is more actual than reality when you look at a view like this. It seems that the healing energy of the painting will re-energize you and make the world a better place to live. If you're tired of the world's curses and devaluation, it's an excellent way to see or draw a painting  for calm and comfort you. 

And the best way to fight a narcissist who judges others easily without any guilty is to cherish and love yourself because  the energy vampires don't know how to really love themselves.

Enjoy the fun journey of finding and cherishing yourself step by step with the pictures. Please take out the crying inner child, comfort him, and tell him that everything is not your fault. Give him a chance to be brave and tell his story to the world. If there is a picture that gives you such energy, I believe it will be conducive to healing your broken heart if you look at it often and quietly express your feelings.

Reference: 3 Reasons Scientists Say Painting is Good For Your Brain  by Noella Andres 

 ​As a child, I lived in a city. All the time, I breathe smoky smoke profoundly and heard the car's horn sound several times a day. And I grew up seeing crowded people on the street all the time. Maybe that's why, even now, when I almost fall asleep and hear the sound of a car or a big truck passing by outside, I feel nostalgic as if I was back in my childhood.

after rain, 2020, Myungja Anna Koh

 Especially at dawn, when I hear the wheels sounds of a car or people passing by making noise around me, my childhood memories are often called out. Maybe that's why I drew a picture called "City Tree" with these memories in the past.

Tree branches are swaying above the apartments at dark night. Countless square lights from the apartment windows are reflected brightly between trees. Once upon a time, I saw a picture drawn by my nephew. The trees were always smaller than the house in the picture. More than anything, after sketching the apartment very large, he draws the tree tiny compared to it. I found it very peculiar. Because, in my childhood memories, my trees were always bigger than the house. The size of nature I felt was always grand and overwhelming. Sometimes when the heavy rain and wind blew strong enough, I felt fear. However, children who grow up in cities have fewer opportunities to feel this nature's power. Trapped in a high concrete building, they cannot afford to experience the message or energy of nature. Therefore, the size of nature they feel is always insignificant. The trees in my paintings completely reject the artificial energy emanating from the square window light emitted by these apartments. They somehow move and try to show their presence in front of them. All ordinary people are trapped in the same space and life. The city trees send an infinite message to modern people who do not feel the energy of nature. They stand constantly with shaking and rustling. City Tree was created based on these contents.

​And recently completed a digital artwork called "City Eye." It is a simple work made using Photoshop on the tablet, but my thoughts and concerns about the city are all contained in it.

 Have you ever looked up at a magnificent building from top to bottom when visiting a metropolitan area like New York or Seoul? Our point of view always weakens the existence of nature, like a painting drawn by our nephew. Because, as we know, we are part of that nature. Sometimes it seems that we are controlled by an artificial environment. When I walk the streets of New York, I often feel overwhelmed by its grandeur and splendor. Then whenever I see the beautiful red geraniums planted around the restaurant, I feel a little relieved. There is a force that such a colossal building gives. So I changed the viewpoint this time. That is a top-down view. Perhaps a flying bird, insect, or even extraterrestrial life from a distant universe might see our city this way. In the middle, you can see a blue river like a human eye. The center of the river opens like an iris, and light leaks out. The light swirls the river and converges the building in the middle. I got the idea that the energy that makes these cities, that is, people, who are the subjects of power, are also part of nature. Finally, I paid attention to the power of the invisible spirit that creates a large visible city. How we use and control this energy depends on what direction and angle the human eye sees, so the city's future seems to be determined.
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It would be nice if nature and the city coexist. I hope that an environment where we can embrace each other and coexist is universal.

 ​When I first moved to Germany, one of the biggest motivations was to find an environment where my weak son could grow up healthily. Wouldn't it be great if a child who had to go through more pain and hard work than others right after birth could breathe better air, run freely on the green grass, and live a healthy life without the stress of studying or competition? Without hesitation, I gave up all my careers in Korea and boarded a plane to Germany. 

 But one thing I was missing was the hidden risks to take for such ideal life. Arriving in Germany, as I dreamed and wanted, my child was able to live a stress-free life in the fresh air and a beautiful nature, but shortly after moving, he had to suffer from an unknown fever. The doctor told me that my son had to continue testing and that had to be hospitalized for five days to do this. I was very confused because I was not used to living abroad yet and I had to get such a hard time without any help. The decision to be hospitalized, let my child stay in the strage hospital, and going home to pick up the child's clothes, toys and food are traumatic enough to be portrayed. I had to change buses to get off the tram and go home. But the bus comes every 30 minutes. I couldn't afford to wait that 30 minutes because I left the child in the hospital and promised to come soon. So I ran as fast as I could on that long road that took 30 minutes by bus. 

 After running for a while, I suddenly burst into tears. Why is life so hard? I still remember that day. It was beautiful weather that is rare in Germany, where the sky was clearly cobalt blue, and the sun was bright. The world is so beautiful, but I was running with tears in my eyes. My heart ached a lot. I was exhausted from running and walking and running again, and suddenly a beautiful cosmos blooming on the road caught my eye. Why was the flowers so pretty? For a moment, I could forget my situation of being sad. Something warm and deep comfort came to me. It was a deep comfort that I received from nature. Even this tiny and delicate flower weathered the rain and wind and bloomed beautifully,and then I think my son can do the same... I could get great energy of hope in my heart.

 I have seen such as the same natural energy from the trees in Long island. Some day, I drove in my car and trapped in a traffic jam on the road, and started to find some interesting point to release my annoyment over the window. At the time, I found the strange-shaped tree on the street near my car. Why didn't the tree grow up straight as a normal tree surrounding it? It was curved and curved like a spring coil and then it looked like more smaller than others. 

The tree had a unique shape that was different from other trees. Perhaps there was something in the way or it was heavy storm frequently.  The unusual tree gave me energy and strength. Even that little tree lives without giving in like that.

When I returned home, I drew this natural energy diligently. The picture drawn with such a heart is the Overcoming series. I want to share the energy of hope I received from nature with as many people as possible. 

  I  have traveled and lived in many countries and met many people. I have laughed and cried together after hearing their stories. Recently I listened to the news about a person who I broke up with her seriously before. She had the sad life story that her son was ill when I first met her. She eventually had felt into heresy because unable to accept her suffering in her  life. Until now, she eat  pee of her master, believes in her master, and hopes that the cult's master will resolve her life problems. In the past,  I have asked her to go out of there strongly. But I know. It's tough for her to come back. Still, she has not been able to break free from that cult and is living with spreading rumors intensely that she is living well thanks to that cult.

The world is like that. A tree would be a great mentor. Even when they twisted and bent, they keep their pride and live their own lives. They stand tall and write their own history by themselves, not in the hands of others. When this energy is gone, your life is controlled by others. If someone manipulate your thought and plans , you don't live your life freely. It is excruciating to live a life where other people intervene. It is also unfortunate to entrust one's autonomy and rights to others and to think that it is convenient, easy, and safe. I have to look at my paintings and talk every day. Anna, be yourself! Nobody live instead of you.

​My daughter likes pink the most, but I like blue. That's why most of the clothes are blue. When I was young, I wanted to express to paint exactly blue, so I often looked up at the sky. I enjoyed imagining what it would be like if God had set the sky pink or green instead of blue. After the green, the color that reminds us of nature is blue.

Blue is a brilliant, beautiful, and perfect color that surpasses all other colors. No one can talk about this color, and people can do nothing with it. The quality of this color is still outstanding.
—Chennino Chennini, from Il libro dell’arte, circa 1400 

A few recipe books, such as Cennino Cennini's 15th century Il Libro dell'Arte, revealed the secrets of preparing paints from pigments and dyes. Such books also provided sophisticated guidelines for using each color based on factors such as its lightfastness, toxicity, reactivity, and cost. 
Lapis lazuli was quite expensive to use because of the scarcity of the mineral and the difficulty of its preparation. As Cennini details here, simple grinding produced a greyish blue, so complicated practices were needed to extract the vibrant ultramarine blue we are accustomed to in medieval art. The traditional use of Lapis blue for the robes of the Virgin Mary (who earlier had been shown in red) grew out of the value placed on this precious color. 
(Source:https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/originsof-color/organic-dyes-and-lakes/secret-medieval-palette/)

It has been very difficult to find blue pigments in nature except for the color of light since ancient times. This is because the sea and sky are not actually blue, but appear blue because of light scattering.

​ In modern times, the value of blue has been proven by many studies closely related to human life. For example, there is research showing that when you are in a room painted in blue, you feel that time passes more slowly than it actually is. Blue also reduces appetite.  

Last week on a children's playdate, a child brought my child a pretty blue hydrangea. ​Although it was a common hydrangea, it seemed unusually beautiful because it matched the pure and beautiful heart.

 The flowers were beautifully mixed with purple and blue, and it looked as if each flower leaf would turn into a butterfly and fly away. In an instant, an image was drawn in my head and I immediately ran to the studio.

 ​The work process will be included in the Photoshop tutorial in the info menu of this website when I have time later. First of all, I want to briefly show you the process of making it.

 It's graduation season, so I think parents will be very busy. In my case, As soon as the second daughter's graduation ceremony is over, I must prepare an older son's prom party and graduation ceremony. Working as an artist while supporting families and raising children is a hardship that I cannot share anywhere. If I have enough time, if I have two hours a day to immerse myself in something and complete it, I think it will create a better environment for making something. But to me, two hours a day, just for me, is a luxury like an unnecessary excessive accessory. So I try to earn time to work day by day with a desperate heart like a soldier who goes to war. But after fighting this kind of war several times, it seems that I have my trick. So, I tend to allocate my time much more easily than before and work. For example, in a month with many busy events, such as June, I usually choose small tasks to draw at once. So yesterday I painted an orange rose. Yesterday's work was significant because I had to draw roses one by one on paper whenever I had free time to open a paint flower shop later. 
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 Today, I would like to show you the procedure I drew with pictures briefly. 
 Orange is a vibrant and fiery color that represents life, energy, passion, and excitement. "Orange roses are a symbol of energy and enthusiasm. These bright flowers will immediately raise the energy in a room. You might find yourself more motivated." (Posted in History, Hunter's Special, Orange rose, Symbolism)
  I chose the orange color to convey bright vitality, energy, and joy to someone. And I sketched with a 2H drawing pencil, as shown below. The tip is to draw without making a mistake once drawing because it uses a rough texture and paper color as the background without painting the background separately. If I make mistakes often and leave traces of pencil lines and erased marks, not painting the background becomes meaningless and messy. Therefore, I had to concentrate all my attention when drawing the sketch. I drew a rose, but the flower part was as beautiful and vivid as possible, and the stem was twisted and natural. Because in the philosophy of my paintings, beauty, and the pain to create that beauty always coexist. The shadow beneath the twisted stem is the good life we have always imagined.

 ​ Then, I took out a watercolor pencil and drew the second sketch as shown below. ​At this time, the already calculated shadow is added.

 ​ Then, I put water on the brush and arranged the color of the rose step by step.

 ​Next, considering the light coming in as a highlight, I mixed acrylic paint with white, white, and orange and then painted the bright part using a light orange color.

 ​ Now, as the next step, I used red and dark orange to arrange the dark shades as shown below.

 ​I painted the floor of this orange rose. First, touch the bottom with acrylic using a flat brush.

  Then, carefully sprinkle thin, shiny shards on it. At first glance, I felt like a part of the reflected light of the orange roses. ​It is from the hope that our lives will be able to twinkle innumerable in the countless ups and downs.