Artist Statement
My artworks convey genuine emotions through their pencil and brushstrokes, which retain the delicacy and authenticity of a handcrafted touch. My work explores emotions through oil painting and digital art that captures natural, everyday scenes from childhood, inspired by my own memories and experiences.
My works are created with shared memories that are playful and deeply personal, intended to convey a sense of empathy. As someone who spent part of my childhood studying in India, I grew up between cultures, and I often draw from the emotions and objects of that time. The details immerse the audience into the scene, allowing them to experience the illustrated world through the eyes of their inner child.
My artworks explore themes of beloved animal portraits depicted in a children’s book style created with layers of delicate pencil marks and expressive brushstrokes. I illustrate pets as if they were a child, all animals can explore where the human goes, what the human experience does and eats. I want to give a feeling of visual delight, and comfort pet owners, especially those who have experienced pet loss by bringing animals to life with a variety of expressions and accessories. By using the impasto technique, a genuine emotional response is evoked. I aim to engage audiences with authentic storytelling and vivid imagery. My work makes the viewers feel as if they are stepping into the actual room inside my painting.
Biography
Hee-won Shin is an illustrator born and raised Guri, South Korea and now residing in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently studying illustration major in Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
In her artistic practice, she focuses on the theme of childhood, evoking a sense of empathy from the audiences by inviting them back to their own childhood memories. She primarily draws inspiration from nostalgic memories and the inner child in herself who continue to pull her back to the past. On her canvas, she recreates mundane and simple everyday spaces that are beautiful and nostalgic, inviting viewers to appreciate fleeting everyday moments that often pass us by unnoticed.
She mainly works with oil paint on canvas – using impasto technique, through the thicker layer, she attempts to evoke a genuine emotional response. She also works in digital illustration, primarily using pencil brushes, which allows her to retain the delicacy of brushstrokes and the authenticity of a handcrafted touch.
She has taught introductory art to students and shares her work through online platforms, where she also accepts pet portrait commissions. Also, she was part of two group exhibitions held in Seoul and the Seoul Art Show in 2024.
Website: shinhw17488.wixsite.com/heeheeillustration
Instagram: @heehee_illustration