Chapel Hill Public Library displays nature-inspired paintings from local artist

On the lower level of the Chapel Hill Public Library, 19 new nature-themed paintings line the wall, ranging from assortments of pink and yellow flowers to dreamy stills of a river running through mountains.

These vibrant pieces were created by painter and illustrator Dain Kim and are being showcased as part of the Chapel Hill's Public Spaces art series.

The series display a different artist’s work every two months, changing its location between the public library and Chapel Hill Town Hall. The program's goal is to spotlight local artists and bring their art to unexpected places.

Steve Wright, the public art coordinator for Chapel Hill, said the town puts out an open call for artists to submit their work to the series. Their works are then evaluated by a committee of local artists and representatives from CHPL and the Chapel Hill Cultural Arts Commission.

“We try to have a diversity of artists — so different ages, different backgrounds, genders — we take those things into consideration too,” he said.

Wright said that he liked the quality of Kim's work, which is what likely made her stand out to the committee.

Kim is no stranger to the Chapel Hill art scene. Last year, she created artwork inspired by Korean folk art that was displayed on the ceilings of Chapel Hill buses.

Prior to living in North Carolina, Kim was based in South Korea. She said that her mom, who was an art teacher and painter, exposed her to art at a young age.

When she was a teenager, Kim left her home country and moved to the UK. Since she did not speak much English, Kim said she relied on art to connect with people.

“[Painting] just felt like home, that's kind of what I do,” she said. “That's my identity, in a way.”

Kim took a foundation course at Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts London, where she learned different mediums, from fine arts to graphic design. She began her career in painting when she went back to South Korea. Originally, she said her art style was more focused on painting specific objects and figures. 

Since moving to Raleigh with her husband three years ago, she said her style has transitioned in to one focusing on nature and connecting with the environment around her. Many of her pieces that are currently on display at the library were painted during this transition and are influenced by her encounters with nature in North Carolina as well as Korean folklore.

Six of the pieces being displayed are also part of a series Kim is working on called the Habitat Series, which she said is her way of asking herself where home truly is.

The Habitat Series' artwork displays different animals and plants growing out of open shells, inspired by hermit crabs looking for different shells — or homes — as they grow bigger.

“Where is the true home — physically or mentally?” she said. “Even if it’s a very temporary thing, you can be home. You feel like home in a certain place.”

Chapel Hill resident Jessica McDermott stopped to take pictures of Kim's Habitat paintings at the exhibit on Thursday.

“This art in particular, I don't know, it just makes me feel really safe,” she said. “It's very soft. This is something that I would totally hang in our house.”

Becky Wileman, a library experiences assistant at CHPL, said that the soft color palette combined with the few pops of bright color in Kim's paintings are what caught her eye.

“We're here for an hour at a time, so looking down the hallway at them, it's really fun, pleasing and makes you want to go up closer to them and really check them out at a closer angle,” she said.

Kim's pieces will be on display until Oct 8. More information on Kim's art can be found on her website: www.dainkim.art.

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