A brief interlude from comics. I first met Eunhye as a high school senior. We’d both journeyed to St. Louis for Washu’s (no longer extant) straight Med program, and instead of heading straight to our meeting spot, I took a detour to get a vanilla frap from Starbucks. This was objectively a jerk move, but Eunhye thought it was hilarious, + thus our decade long friendship begun.
The thing about close, long friendships is that they quickly become familial, and that’s the case with me, Eunhye, and her mom, Myungeun Rhie. One of my favorite memories with Mrs. Rhie was sitting at her table, eating some of the best bulgogi I’ve had in my life, and having a spirited conversation (with Eunhye as our very amused translator). Even though it’s been years since we’ve been able to sit down for another chat, we’ve kept up with each other. Recently, Ms. Rhie went back to school to pursue her dream of becoming a painter, and I’ve ogled her work in awe from a distance, and promised that the moment I got the funds, I would commission her.
Well, imagine my shock/ delight/ surprise when Eunhye sent me this painting, of me, by Ms. Rhie. there is something so deeply loving about taking a brush to canvas to recreate another person’s image, and I feel that love deep in my bones right now. Ms. Rhie , when you read this- I just want to say thank you, I’m in awe of you, and I wish I could have made it to your gallery. (And I hope that any of you who can consider it!) #art #oilpainting #myungeunrhie #portrait