I imagine.
Instead of fleeing from that small seaside village,
I am the one tenderly bidding farewell, step by step.
The departure that surged like the tide made me want to flee from the sea.
But suddenly, I stop running away and turn back to the sea.
I decide to stop just yearning for the sea and start drawing it again.
I stood firmly with both feet planted on the ground, but suddenly,
like someone who stand on one foot, I wavered at the slightest breeze
The vow of love engraved on the sand is washed away by the waves without a trace, just as our faith, our promises, our love often disappear without leaving any marks. In the place where they vanish, only scars remain. If only the wounds could disappear as quickly as many other things do, but those traces, as if deliberately lingering, slowly blur, resisting fading away as much as possible.
Feeling that if I must do something for anything in my life to change, as in that resolution,
I felt the desire to create a new sea for myself.
As readers gaze upon the faces of the sea depicted by the author, they will find themselves seeing the faces of the loves they have experienced. May the seas of all who read this book be calm. Even when the waves occasionally surge and overwhelm the heart, may they find themselves standing with both feet planted firmly before the tranquil horizon, once the night has passed and morning has come.
How could I capture waves on paper?
One day, I simply stared at the paper, and the next, I left it on the desk and fled.
But the waves I couldn't draw remained there, waiting for me.
Just like the speaker in this book wanted to create a new sea for themselves, I wanted the same for myself, in my own way, even if imperfect.
With uncertainty, I picked up the lightest pencil and scribbled in the corner of the paper.
The next day, I ventured a bit further from the corner, and inch by inch, I drew.
Gradually, the gathered ripples became waves.
Each wave has a different shape. Some are round, some pointed, some bright, some dark.
There are shapes that are impossible to describe.
As I surrendered myself to the waves that undulated without a pattern, I realized that this book had become my new 'Face of the Sea.'
Even if it takes a lot of time and hesitation,
Even if I suddenly feel sad with memories that will never be forgotten,
I hope that eventually, everyone will be able to face their own sea with memories that will never be forgotten.
Mokyo Kim
Longing for the sea, I often draw it.
I learned to draw for the first time at the Picture Book School after turning thirty.
With many worries, I want to draw pictures as calm and peaceful as possible.
Believing that pencils resemble me the most, I created twelve different shades of Mongdang pencils.
「Faces of the Sea」 is my first picture book.