CCCA hosts first artist in residence at the Foundry

On a personal note, Jeon prefers to go by they. As a youngster they called themself a tom boy. They grew up on a farm and had the same chores as their brothers. They did not want to wear the dress that their mom had brought out. High school proved as challenging a time of gender-shaming bullying as art school later proved liberating. But they aren’t real rigid about it and won’t scold people if they call them she. They are fine just going as “Rose.”

“I played baseball and track sports. I didn’t feel very girly. At the time, there was no they/them. In high school I got called transphobic slurs. So I told people, ‘I am just Rose.’ When I got to college there were a lot of people who were part of the LGBTQ community. Gender reassigning, transgender, bisexual, agender. Once I figured out all the terms, I felt more at peace with it. I am an artist first and foremost,” Jeon said.

Their elementary school art teacher recommended them to Tindall. Tindall liked their work and encouraged them to apply for the artist in residence program.

They recieve a working wage and a supply stipend, which they says is generous, from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Caroline County Council of Arts. They get inspiration for their works on paper from all kinds of sources. Perhaps a color they see on social media, an artist they admires, photographs and even TV shows, could catch their eye.

This right-handed, 25-year-old went to art school at the Delaware College of Art and Design after a stint at Chesapeake College.

At first their teachers were trying to turn them into an art teacher, but they had one burning desire. To be an artist. Jeon’s mother’s side was really creative and encouraged them to be a creative. She saw the potential at DCAD and helped Jeon to get excited about it.

From Jeon’s artist statement, “I grew up in rural Marydel, Maryland, the youngest of four. I loved watching cartoons, like Looney Tunes and Betty Boop, with my siblings. My favorites were the ones in black and white with a pop of color. As my siblings became teenagers, I was constantly surrounded by pop culture. All the movies, magazines, CD covers, and music videos opened up a world of creativity I didn’t see in my community.

“I learned color theory, painting, and collaging at Delaware College of Art and Design. As an artist, I’ve always been drawn to black and white art and loved exploring the gray tones in between. I also love playing with texture!”

DCAD has some serious pedigree being a joint partnership between NYC’s Pratt Institute and the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

“Some people post moody colors online, and I bounce off that. It will help me determine what to draw from there. I am constantly looking at stuff, even a quick glance. Something in the news or in a magazine. I like Michelangelo’s statues. I like Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings. I am very inspired by Egyptian art because of the lines and the colors — the statues and the goldware and jewelry. I learned how to do a painting style through sketching,” said Jeon. “I like how Michelangelo ends up with an almost delicate statue, but made out of this really hard substance.”

Jeon’s most recent works on paper look classical, mythical. They are not just people Jeon portrays but the archetype held within them. Jeon makes their subjects noble in charcoal and graphite with brush-like blending with their fingers. The works are gray in tone but have pronounced sparkling quality like sunshine glancing off of silver. While at school, Jeon studied Michelangelo’s drawings to figure out how to draw like him.

Talking about another famous sculptor, France’s Auguste Rodin, who made the The Thinker, “It is that perfect balance between exaggerated and simplified.” Although the 1980s bad boy photographer Robert Mapplethorpe is known for his darker bondage material, he also brought a fascination with classical imagery into his work. He shot marble statues of men and flowers revealing their perfection.

So Jeon’s job is to create, learn and explore shiny things to their delight. Their works are due in December. They will be framed, and some will be matted.

“I felt like I could be myself more at college instead of what others wanted from me. Say there was a live model, I could take as much time as I wanted and draw it any way I wanted. I can pick a model that is masculine but has a certain softness that is feminine. Androgyny, gender bending can be a little harsh depending on what it means to you,” Jeon said.

How much gender fluidity to express is up to the artist and what model they choose. Sometimes it is all the model’s looks, and sometimes they make it up 50/50.

For Jeon this is a career not a hobby.

“Art is a very hard career and you can’t just quit when someone pushes you down. You always have to get back up. I always see people who are extremely passionate who can not get deterred. It is not a Christmas gift that you just get. You have to reign in the horses to get yourself where you want to be,” Jeon said.

Jeon talked about negotiating price on a dog portrait and not folding from what they think it is worth. They said tenacity is necessary and that some artists go soft too often, cutting their prices and bending over backwards on unrealistic deadlines.

Interestingly it is when the subject of music comes that Jeon really gets animated.

“I am blaring music up here all the time, and when it gets quiet, Nick will pop in and say, ‘Is everything OK?’ I like heavy metal and rock. I like Five Finger Death Punch, Citizen Soldier — they talk about mental health. Rock? Linkin Park, Black Veil Brides. I like Rhianna’s ‘Diamond’ by Any Given Day. I love K-Pop. Bad Omens. Nothing More — this music is raw. People think metal is all about depression or murder, but it is not. Some really talk about deeper levels. Addictions, people who live with depression or PTSD or feel suicidal. Actually the lead singer is a licensed therapist. He sings to support,” said Jeon.

So, if you find yourself at The Foundry and the house is rocking, Jeon is creating.