October 9, 2018 - 14:47
The top of the painting is a beautiful blend of analogous colors that portrays the tree’s canopy and the vibrant blue sky. Through overlapped varied tones of green and blue the tree comes to life. The green and blue paint is overlapped by a stamped print design that features a mystical animal in the center, which appears to be a combination of a dragon and a rooster. This print design is overlapped by delicate, blue rhinestones that resemble the forms of clouds and sit in the area of the painting that consists of the blue sky coloring making it difficult for the viewer to discern which parts of the tree are the leafs versus the blue sky.
Although the focal point of Paradise Between 9 is the tree trunk, the wildlife that extends from it exudes themes of beauty and nature. In contrast to the dark red tree trunk, a pastel blue-almost-white pond occupies the background of the painting. Its lack of movement and vibrancy juxtaposes the bedazzled birds swimming in it with hot pink feathers and rainbow feathered crowns. The birds float with a stiff posture with their eyes staring in the same direction, as if they are swimming gallantly towards something. In the lower left hand corner–almost forgotten by the distractingly brilliant colors in the red of the painting– is a violet pond with small koi swimming in it. Unlike the birds who are avoiding the gaze of the viewer, the koi stare right back and appear dazed underneath the water eye- swide and cloudy.
Overall, the painting is composed of bright, pastel colors. The top of the tree is a blend of bright greens and more subdued blues, while the tree’s trunk is a deeper, almost reddish brown. The sky in the background is a cold, pale bluish-green that evokes feelings of winter and desolation, contrasting starkly with the more vibrant colors of the foliage and animals in the piece. In the foreground, in front of the tree, sit two brightly colored and rhinestone-covered (literally dazzling) birds, in intense yellows and reds and accented with splashes of blues and greens. On the right sits a bush of eye-catching pink roses, flanked by green leaves, on the edge of the water.
The painting is made of beautiful colors; however, almost all aspects of the painting is dripping with paint. The top of the painting (the tree top) is painted with beautiful blues and greens and it drips down to the trunk that is a vibrant orange mixed with brown. As the paint drips down, it mixes with others colors. By the time it gets down to the bottom of the tree, most of the colors are mixed to become brown and murky. Hee Sook Kim is taking a beautifully composed picture with vibrant and pastel colors and adding mixing them to further create more colors. Additionally, the sides of the portraits disregard the tree trunk so the colors are more beautifully mixed together. The dripping of the paint brings another aspect to the blending of colors in the painting.