Emlyn Yoon-Buck’s “To Capture” is capturing attention this month

The Edith Renfrow Smith `37 Gallery is once again open, and to start off the year, Emlyn Yoon-Buck `25 is showcasing her art show titled “To Capture.” Covering the walls is a collection of 30 small paintings, charcoal art, photographs of animal rehabilitation, experimental ceramics and watercolor paintings.

Her collection of small paintings, fittingly titled, “The Collection,” inspired her to do the show. After a professor told her that her small paintings may not attract enough attention or have a strong presence, she set forth on a mission to create enough paintings to cover the entire wall.

“I spent all summer making these 30 little paintings in addition to a 50-plus-hour job. It was a lot of work,” said Yoon-Buck, “but it kind of shows the story of my summer and looking back at memories of different places.”

She explained that this collection can be viewed as a reading through her diary. The first painting on the wall illustrates her initial inspiration this summer, while the last painting marks the final moment of inspiration she experienced this summer. Each painting represents places of inspiration, typically centered around nature, clouds and lighting.

Her next collections, titled “Impermanent” and “Tree Bark Studies,” are both charcoal artworks. She explained the process behind the two collections, stating that she covered some pieces in charcoal and erased certain areas to create the image of smoke, while for the other, she started with white and added darker shades to achieve the detailing.

“It’s kind of a mix between realism and abstraction,” said Yoon-Buck. “I really enjoyed making them.”

Her next collection, “To Release,” is a series of photographs from her time working in wildlife rehabilitation. She explained that all the animals photographed have either been released or will be released soon.

“I got to work with him [an osprey] a lot, and he was released a week or two ago which was exciting,” said Yoon-Buck as she pointed to his picture.

Another series in her collection, “Fragile,” features flowers dipped into wet clay and then burned to retain the cast of the object. Yoon-Buck organized them in the image to make it seem as though they are falling apart.

“Slip makes a very thin cast around [the object] that’s breakable,” said Yoon-Buck. “To capture that, rather than have the actual object, captures it more permanently.”

The next collections are titled “Skies” and “Water,” and feature colorful depictions of the water and sky that  encapsulate the way light affects them. Yoon-Buck created these paintings for fun back in 2021 and 2022, but viewed her exhibit as an opportunity to showcase them and fill more space on the wall.

“I am a biology and studio art major,” said Yoon-Buck, “So I feel like you can see that [love for nature] come through in my art.”

The last collection of the exhibit is “Illumination.” These paintings explore the interactions of light and surfaces and the impact the interaction has on color. Yoon-Buck said this is her favorite collection, emphasizing the importance of realism and looseness in her work. One of her strategies is focusing on unique lighting and composition to avoid rigidness.

“I do have a technical background with realism,” explained Yoon-Buck. “I’ve been trying to move away from that and balance looseness with realism.”

Her advice to anyone interested in doing their own exhibition is to just go for it. Applications will start in the spring semester, with posters typically posted around Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.

“Do it. It’s sometimes really scary but it’s a good opportunity,” encourages Yoon-Buck. “Good to get experience with installation, too, so do it even if you’re scared.”

Yoon-Buck’s exhibition will be on display until Sept. 21 on the first floor of Joe Rosenfield `25 Center.