Heeyoung Kim with her watercolor, Royal Catchfly, Silene regia. At an exhibit by the American Society of Botanical Artists at Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Heeyoung Kim, botanical artist, instructor, native plant advocate
Wildflower painter, Heeyoung Kim, documents native plants of Midwestern prairies and woods. Rare and endangered ones are in her priority as plant population is rapidly decreasing globally. She creates detailed portrayals of each plant and its life cycle through keen observation and broad research throughout its growing seasons in natural habitats. Her paintings and drawings are distinguished with scientific accuracy, authentic composition, and masterful rendering of the medium. She has been building up a digital image bank with her artworks in "Project 200" (click to view). She set a goal to paint 200 native species and hope her art would be used for educating the public about native plants and nature conservation.
Awards and Accoladea
Heeyoung Kim in the pristine meadow in Transylvania
Heeyoung Kim’s watercolor paintings of prairie plants were garnered with the most distinguished awards in the world.
Gold Medal (2012): Botanical Art and Flower Show, Royal Horticultural Society, London: 8 paintings of the American Prairie Plants
Best in the Show (2012): 15th International, New York Horticultural Society and the American Society of Botanical Artists. Compass Plant, Silphium laciniatum, an iconic prairie plant, in her signature style of watercolor combined with graphite pencil.
Diane Bouchier Artist Award for Excellence in Botanical Art, the highest recognition by the American Society of Botanical Artists (2012)
Transylvania Florilegium: Heeyoung Kim was invited by the Prince's School of Traditional Art to participate in Transylvania Florilegium, the wildflower documentation project in Transylvania, Romania in 2013. Three of her watercolors have been selected for inclusion. The original artworks have been exhibited through out the world starting at Romanian Cultural Institute, London. The premier exhibit can be viewed in the video below.
Premier Exhibition of Transylvania Florilegium
The Transylvania Florilegium: Botanical Art Collection “created under the aegis of the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts to record in a permanent way the flora of Transylvania”. 3 watercolor paintings by Heeyoung Kim are included in this collection, Volume 1.
The florilegium was produced and published in two volumes as part of ongoing initiative to ensure the conservation of the biodiversity of the region. All the related materials to the Transylvania Florilegium are copyrighted, and can be viewed exclusively on the publisher’s website.
For more info, https://addisonpublications.com/portfolio/transylvania-florilegium/
Premier exhibit of the originals at Romanian Cultural Institute in London, 2018
Founder of Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy
Kim founded Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy at Brushwood Center and teaches this traditional art form in various media: watercolor, pen-and-ink and graphite pencil, and colored pencil occasionally. Her mastery of the media she uses combined with practical experiences in exhibiting and working as a professional makes her a qualified teacher. Since the founding of the academy, it has become an incubator for ever growing botanical art community in Chicago Metropolitan Areas.
Collaboration: She often collaborates with schools, gardens, and garden clubs to advocate the important role of native plants to eco sustainability and our own existence.
Classes via Zoom. In the recent years with the threat of Covid 19, her classes has been taught via Zoom platform. Thanks to her trainings as a public school teacher, she could quickly transform the conventional teaching methods to the modern technologies by using presentations and demos that are her strongholds. Within two weeks after the pandemic hit the whole world. she put her classes up online, and now she reaches out to students globally. Info about classes, Click Here
As a guest artist she teaches through gardens and art associations from beginning to master level. In this changed world, she gives presentations about her botanical documentation, drawing/painting workshops, and pretty much everything about botanical art to international conference attendees from her studio.
Versatile in various media. Her watercolors and graphite pencil drawing received 4 awards from New York International HSNY/ASBA including Best of Show (2012), RHS Gold Medal (2012), and her 3 watercolors are included in Prince of Wales’s Transylvania Florilegium. She exhibited her ink illustrations at Margaret Flockton Award (2010, 2013), and 2 works in watercolor and ink at Hunt 13th International (2010).
Represented by Joel Oppenheimer Gallery
As the first living artist, Heeyoung Kim is represented by a renowned natural history art gallery Joel Oppenheimer Gallery in in downtown Chicago, 10 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL
“When I first saw her work, I immediately recognized that she has the talent on par with the Masters that we represent- Basilius Besler, Priscilla Susan Bury, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, Dr. Robert John Thornton- to name a few.”
Designer
In her spare time Kim loves designing practical items that give joy to everyday life. With the digital images of her own paintings and drawings, she produces one of her obsession, silk scarves :). Her keen sense of color and design is noticeable in every product she makes. Kim’s silk scarves are elegant additions to everyday fashion. For purchase, Go to Shop or click each image below. She also designs beautiful greeting cards with orchids, prairie flowers, and other wildflowers with bees, butterflies and birds. They are nature lovers’ favorites. Go to Store
Awards
Gold Medal: RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) London Botanical Art Exhibition, March 16-17, 2012
Best in Show Award: 15th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition, the Horticultural Society of New York, September 14, 2012
Diane Bouchier Artist Award for Excellence in Botanical Art: The American Society of Botanical Artists, October 20, 2012
ASBA Eleanor Wunderlich Award for Excellence: 16th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition, the Horticultural Society of New York, September 20, 2013
Award for Merit: 14th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition of the American Society of Botanical Artist and the Horticultural Society of New York, September 21, 2011
Honorable Mention: 13th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition of the American Society of Botanical Artist and the Horticultural Society of New York, September 15, 2010