My name is Kristin Sue Kim, and I was born in Seoul, South Korea. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Hyosung Catholic University (BFA) in Korea. I came to San Diego State University (SDSU, ALI) as an international student and completed the program at the American Language Institute. Subsequently, I transferred to Bowie State University (BSU) to major in Fine Arts and studied Education at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
My youngest son has autism. Watching him run outside to play and create “snow angels” whenever it snowed inspired me to conceive an angel-shaped puzzle design. This angel puzzle symbolizes a healer who cares for the lonely through the love of Jesus.
Images from all my life experiences gradually accumulate in the repository of my memory. When I paint, I retrieve these fragments of memory one by one and place them in their proper positions, much like assembling a puzzle. This creative process is a rewarding experience that brings me a profound sense of healing and catharsis.
When inspiration strikes, I first sketch the general outline of the composition in my mind. After capturing the subject’s form, I repeatedly refine the sketch to ensure a stable composition. I determine the placement of still-life objects or landscape elements according to my own stylistic approach and experiment with various angles relative to the eye level to enhance the sense of three-dimensionality.
I also place great importance on color harmony. I lived in Germany for three years and traveled extensively across Europe. I was captivated by houses featuring a vibrant palette reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales; when combined with the dazzling, heavenly sunlight of Texas, my work took on a rich, lively array of colors. While warm tones dominate the composition, I paid careful attention to balancing them with cooler hues. To create a sense of unity, I rendered the background sky and the outlines of all objects in blue. My work follows a semi-abstract style; even if the painting were divided into four or forty sections, each part could stand alone as a compelling composition—whether figurative or abstract.
I also harmonize diverse artistic styles within a single canvas. For areas created using spray techniques, I applied the “action painting” method found in modern art, while rendering water reflections in an “Abstract Expressionist” style. The houses are painted in a “Pop Art” style, yet the marble elements and water droplets are depicted realistically. Here, the water droplets symbolize lonely souls isolated from society. I present art that serves as a conduit for healing, hoping to shed light on the dark corners of people’s hearts. My wish is for viewers to gain positive energy through my paintings. At the core of my work lies the Cross—the light of the world.
Korean-American artist. Kristin Sue Kim maiden name is Kim (Jeoung), Sook-Kyoung. She has a husband (Medical Doctor) and three sons and currently lives in Round Rock within the Austin metro area.
Her art sign means Kristin Sue (Kim, Sook-Kyoung) carries the gospel as a Christian artist.
She was awarded in the Mok Woo Hae (목우회) and in the Korea Art Festival (한국미술 대전). In the United States of America, she was awarded first place in the Spring Art Festival in Maryland. She also won first place in the Artist Contest in Germany. She was a member of the Korean Artist Association of Southern California, the Washington D.C. Artist Association, the Texas Southwestern Artist Association and Texas Watercolor Society and the Environment Art Organization. She had a group show exhibition at the 22nd Century Gallery, Saeh-jong Culture Hall Gallery (세종 문화 회관 전시실), Korean Culture Hall in Los Angeles (L.A. 한국 문화원 전시실). She also had an exhibition with other American artists in California, Florida, Washington D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas.
At first, Kristin Sue Kim’s paintings focused on the pastel tone still life and it was then changed to colorful landscape. She also painted abstract art as featured in her painting “The 4th of July,” “Heaven” and “Angel Puzzle Series.” She has had her own show and group show exhibitions in the United States of America, South Korea and Europe. Kristin Sue Kim had a group art show with other artists in MD, VA, Washington D.C., CA, FL, NC, TX and South Korea, New York, Europe.
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My father, Il Sun Jeoung made murals abroad and gave me art lessons from an early age.
At Hyosung Catholic University in Korea, I won first place and received a scholarship, and I majored in fine art and received a BFA. I worked as a reporter for the Girl Scout International Department and newspaper illustration at the Korea, CORAL JUBILEE International Camp 1981. I participated in the National College Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Pocheon Camp in Korea in 1983. I wrote an article titled ‘We are one’ about camping in nature based on the spirit of Scout and received the first prize. And I gave free art lessons to the children at Daeseong Orphanage for four years, and the memories with the children are very special. Before coming to the United States, I received awards from the Korean Art Competition and Mokwoohoe and became a member of the Korean Art Association and held exhibitions at the 22 Century Gallery and Sejong Culture Hall.
As an international student, I entered the language school through conditional admission to San Diego State University in 1985 and received a certificate. I moved to LA and then studied at LACC and Cal State Los Angeles. And a group exhibition by the Association of Korean Artists in Southern California was held at the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles.
I got married to a husband I met at a Korean Church and I moved to Maryland with him. This is because my husband went to GWU Medical School after graduating from UCLA.
I transferred to Bowie State University and while I was studying Fine Arts, I made a landscape painting for the BSU festival as a backdrop for the musical The Wiz. In addition, I received First Prize at the Gaithersburg Art Spring festival.
After my husband graduated from GWU, he became an officer in the United States Air Force and was commissioned to Florida 1996. When I did the ‘Music and Art Festival’ held at the church inside the Air Force base, I taught art to many students from kindergarten level to high school students. I painted a mural in the Oak Hill Elementary School cafeteria with volunteers, which I finished after three months. An article appeared in the US military newspaper “Eglin Eagle”. And I served as the program director of the newly built ICC Academy, a Korean school in the International Community church. Korean schools are divided into basic Korean language classes, beginner classes, intermediate classes, and advanced classes, and there are art classes, dance classes, music classes, and taekwondo classes. The spring semester event was held on Mother’s Day and the fall semester event was held on Christmas Day. And I became a Sunday school Bible teacher and drew the contents of the Bible with the children after the Bible instruction. Two years later my husband was posted to California. Then my family moved to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and I transferred to nearby North Carolina Wesleyan College, where I studied education. And I painted “Narnia” in the style of a mural for a summer Bible school theme at Englewood Baptist Church and also served as an AWANA leader.
My husband received orders to a military base in Germany, where I created the mural “Garmish 2” in the Spangdahlem Middle School building. I also served as an art instructor at the Skills Development Center in Spangdahlem AF, teaching oil, watercolor, acrylic, and drawing classes to secondary and adult students. I held a solo exhibition at the Eiffel Community Center and served as president of the Europe USAF Artist Association, an amateur art club that organized outdoor sketching sessions on the US Air Force base. I earned my MCE from the American University of California, Graduate School, Washington Campus, an online Bible school. Additionally, my husband was called to serve as a medical missionary through the Korean church.
Three years later, my husband was ordered to a military base in Texas. My husband and I went to San Antonio with our 3 sons. I taught art to veterans at the Air force village and to soldiers and military families at the Arts and Crafts Center at Lackland Air Force base. And I am a member of the Wilford Hall Auxiliary, a doctor’s wife’s association. I made posters for “DIAMONDS and DENIM” and wanted to help wounded soldiers by donating some of my paintings to charity auctions.
I also held several group art exhibitions at the Henry Guerra Library. The Great Northwest Library and Round Rock Public Library held Korean Spring (Dano) Festival and Fall (Chuseok) festivals to demonstrate Korean song, traditional dance and Taekwondo, taste Korean food, and try on Korean costumes. I gave people their names in Korean, wrote them in black calligraphy on rice paper, and shared Korean history books and cultural videos I received from the Korean Cultural Center in Houston, making an effort to promote Korean culture to the outside world wherever I went.
My husband retired from the US Air Force after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a military family, we’ve had a wealth of experiences moving from place to place. Adapting to life in unfamiliar environments took time, but I embraced the diverse cultures and found inspiration for my paintings in these wonderful memories. After considering our family’s opinions, we settled in Round Rock, Texas, part of the Austin metro area. I have participated in group exhibitions at Austin Art Space, Big Medium, Round Rock Art Space, TSU, Georgetown Art Center, and many other venues. My 10th solo exhibition was held at The Art Institute of Austin’s gallery, and in 2020, I had the honor of a solo exhibition at Round Rock City Hall, invited by the Chamber. Additionally, my piece “Angel Flower 3B” was selected by Round Rock Arts and Culture and displayed as a large light box mural in the lobby of the new Round Rock Public Library for a year, featured in VOGUE Manhattan Summer Issue 2025 and Digital Presentation Artifact Projects Gallery in New York. Currently, I serve as an Art and Culture Ambassador in Round Rock, Texas, and I regularly donate my paintings to nonprofit organizations and public facilities.
