In life, we cross paths with different people; some stay, while others are mere passersby.

Hello, Hive friends! It’s Abby, and I’m back with another tale to tell. It is about this one fateful encounter I had with a passerby. Art and people are connected in different ways, so allow me to show how the Art of Letting Go is put in place.

The Fateful Encounter

Way back in December 2023, the universe did some work and made me cross paths with a stranger. In a language learning app that I use for learning Hangul (the Korean language), I connected with Hyun. We not only connected literally through the app; we also found connection in other aspects: in our hobbies, in humor, and in our interest to each other’s country and culture. Our daily conversations have been so helpful to our language studies, as I am studying Korean while he is studying English. I grew excited every time, since our conversations were never a one-way process as we both showed the same level of interest.

The Colors of Busan

In a jog of time, Hyun and I became best pals. He always sends me photos of great scenery around his area in Busan. The river and beaches are my favorites. As an artist who loves to paint landscapes, my drive to put those wonderful scenes on paper became uncontainable.

Haeundae Beach | DISCLAIMER: These photos belong to and were captured by Hyun

THE COLORS OF BUSAN (부산 색깔이 "Busan saegkkal-i")

I made a painting on canvas of this wonderful photo of Haeundae Beach at sunset using my gouache paints. Gouache paint stands in the middle of acrylic and watercolor. It’s versatile characteristic allows you to use it with high opacity like in acrylic paints and also lets you have greater control with it like in watercolors. I showed it to Hyun, and he expressed his admiration for the piece and supported me in my passion for art by sending more photos that I could use as references.

The collection of photos I had in my gallery that Hyun sent, for me to use as references.

Painting

This particular scene caught my interest; I would say it spoke to me, and that’s when I decided that it would be my next subject.

Captured by Hyun 📸 | Reference Photo

I bought a big canvas, the biggest one I worked on so far. Using my 0.5 mechanical pencil, I made a light sketch of how I perceived the place shown in the reference. For the next step, I diluted a Burnt Sienna-colored acrylic paint in water and used it to put my underpainting.

Imprimatura

The imprimatura, also known as the underpainting, is basically the translucent layer of paint that artists put on their canvas before painting. It is done to cover the white canvas because it is said that the colors stand out better if the base layer is not in white. Additionally, putting underpaintings also helps in emphasizing highlights and shadows.

Layering

Once the base layer has dried up, it is time to put the next layers of paint. I began mixing varieties of color and splashing it on the surface of the canvas. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you in detail the process of color mixing since I honestly know nothing about it. I just randomly mix colors and use any of them that fills my satisfaction. To be blunt, I did nothing professional, haha; rather, I only let myself drown in the process.

Mix! Scoop! Splash! Brush! I literally got lost in time, and the moment I snapped back to reality, the surroundings had darkened already, mosquitoes sneakingly sucking bits of my blood as I was painting outside on the rooftop. I felt a sudden pain in my back from hours of crouching, but what matters most is that I FINISHED THE PAINTING!

I had it hang up on our wall, and looking at it every moment I get was a pleasure. I am satisfied and proud of it. The happiness I feel every time I look at the painting was like a reward to me. However, it did not last longer than I expected it to.

July 2024 came, and Hyun and I lost contact. Then, I realized that Hyun is a passerby. Our fateful encounter lasted only for 7 months. To tell you, I easily get attached to people, places, or things that are able to build deep connections to me as a person. So, I got caught off guard and never expected that what we had was only a seasonal kind of friendship. It was temporary.

My anxiously built self somehow began self-destructing to the point that the painting I made started to pain me every time I caught a glimpse of it.

The Art of Letting Go

That piece was something I never thought I would let go of. Well, imagine it was the biggest painting I have ever made. It was a painting I am very proud of, as it truly reflected my skills, hard work, and emotions. However, I had to let it go for the better. I sold it! I sold it to someone I hold close to my heart. I sold it to a friend of mine.

The day I handed over the painting to my friend

Selling it was a hard decision for me, and the lingering attachment I had towards the painting and towards Hyun made it harder. But I had to let it go, both the painting and the person.

Sometimes in life, we just have to accept the reality that some things are not meant to stay. My friend Hyun was a passerby; so was the piece I made.

Artists encounter that kind of dilemma a lot. The desire we have to sell art pieces collides against our hesitation in passing those artworks over to their new owners. It’s a funny yet realistic dilemma we always encounter.

The process of letting go is hard, scary, and somehow painful; may it be letting go of our favorite things or letting go of the people we hold dear. But still, at times it is a must, despite how painful it could get.

Hyun once told me about this phrase that spoke a lot to me:

시작이 반이다 (sijag-i ban-ida)

“The beginning is half...”

To anyone who needs to hear it, I just want to say that your first step brings you halfway to your healing process.

Every step we take in anything brings us closer to our destination. And there goes the art of letting go.