I am a South Korean-born artist who has resided and pursued my artistic career in New York for over 25 years. My father, who was an artist and an art professor in South Korea, inspired me as a child to explore my creativity through crayons, pencils, and paper. I was enamored with the process of creating something on a blank canvas, and this passion led me to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul in 1993. I continued to pursue my artistic education in the United States, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York in 1996.
In moments of quiet contemplation, I am acutely aware of the passage of time, as evidenced by the ticking of the clock on my wall. The clock serves as a machine that highlights the constant march of time, pushing the present into the past without any hesitation. In these moments, I often find myself recalling memories from my past, starting with the very first.
One of my earliest memories is of losing my mother in a bustling market when I was around five years old. This experience left a profound impact on me, and the fear I felt during that time solidified it as a vivid memory. While I can count the number of distinct memories from my childhood on one hand, I have lived a full life, pursuing my studies and traveling abroad. I got married, had two children, and now, over 50 years have passed, leaving me with only fleeting moments of memory. As the present continues to fade into the past, I often reflect on the brevity of life and imagine what my last moments on this earth will be like. While I believe in a higher power and an afterlife, I acknowledge that life is ephemeral, passing by in a flash like an arrow that has left the bow. At times, I wish to halt time and savor the moments that pass by all too quickly.
As an artist, my work often reflects the aging of life, particularly through the metaphor of wrinkled, aging hands. This imagery speaks to the inevitable passage of time and the changes that occur as we grow older. Through my art, I aim to express the inner conflict of ego and the depth of metaphors, communicating these messages to observers through the language of painting and sculpture.
Helen Draves
-Biography-
EDUCATION
2014 to Present : Watercolor Under Paul Ching-bor, Ceramic Sculpture Under Yasumitsu Morito, Metal Sculpture under Haksul LEE, Art Students League of New York, Manhattan, NY
1996 M.F. A. in Fine Arts, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
1993 B.F.A. in Sculputure, EWHA Womans’ University, Seoul, Korea
AWARD
2023 “Work in Public” Winner Sculptor for a monument at the Riverside Park South, Manhattan”
2023 “Red Dot Award of Student Salon of ASL”at Phyllis Mason Gallery”
2022 “Red Dot Award of Student Salon of ASL”at Phyllis Mason Gallery”
2020 “Red Dot award at online ASL Students Salon”
2019 “Red Dot & Blue Dot Award of Student Salon of ASL”at Phyllis Mason Gallery”
2018 “Blue Dot Award of Student Salon of ASL” at “Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery”,
2016 “Best in Show awarded-1st place” at North East Watercolor Society 40th international Juried
Exhibition
Solo Exhibition
1996 “Power of Life” Higgins Hall Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY
Group Exhibitions
2018 “At the Moment” 7Artists Exhibition, Able Fine Art Gallery, New York, NY (Scheduled)
2018 ”Retrospect” Nokmee Annual Exhibition, Able Fine Art Gallery, New York, NY (Scheduled)
2018 “Juried Exhibition” North East Watercolor Society 41th international Juried Show 2018
“Thankfulness for God’s Gift” Family Exhibition, K&P Gallery
2018 “KACAL Together, LA”, Korea Daily Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
2017 “Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery”, Art Student League, New York, New York
2017 “Juried Exhibition” North East Watercolor Society 41th international Juried Show
2017 “KACAL18” Annual Exhibition , Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, NY
2017 “NOKMEE” K&P Gallery, New York, NY
2016 “Juried Exhibition” “Best in Show awarded” North East Watercolor Society 40th international
Juried Show
2016 “3 Person Exhibition”, K&P Gallery, New York, NY
2016 “Juried Exhibition”, Piermont Flywheel Gallery . Piermont, NY
2016 “KACAL” Chun Gallery, Flushing, NY
2015 “NOKMEE”, Nabi Museum of Arts, Teaneck, NJ
2014 «NOKMEE», Elga Wimmer Gallery, New York, NY
2008 “NOKMEE”, Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY
2007 “NOKMEE”, Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY
2006 “NOKMEE”, Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY
Professional Affiliation
Monitor of the Ceramic Studio at Art Student League (ASL), NYC
National Sculpture Society Associate Member (NSS)
North East Watercolor Society Signature Member (NEWS)
Korean American Contemporary Art, Ltd. (KACAL)