43rd World Wide SketchCrawl around Insa-dong, Seoul

 front view of Ssamziegil building

 main entrance of Ssamziegil building

 viewed from open corridor on the 5th floor in Ssamziegil building

 artist drawing a caricatures of visitors

 a scenery of nearby buildings 

 Chundogyo's Central Headquarters

Irodang (Women's quarter) at Unhyeongung Palace

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pen and watercolor, ( 21 x 29.6cm sketchbook )

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Last Saturday, we Seoul usk members met at Ssamziegil building( 쌈지길 빌딩) which is a famous tourist attraction in Insa-dong on 43rd World Wide SketchCrawl. The building is so interesting with an open-air structure that contains five floors. Its floors are slightly sloped like spiral, allowing visitors to go between floors without using stairs. We sketched around the fantastic building with the crowded people, and after lunch we moved to nearby cultural properties constructed with traditional style. We sketched at Chundogyo's Central Headquarters(천도교 중앙 대교당) and Unhyeongung Palace (운현궁) harmoniously.
I had a delightful sketch time with Seoul usk members all day long.
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쌈지길은 인사동의 인사동이라고도 불리울 만큼 새로운 명물이 되었습니다. 그 주변의 많은 관광객들로 북적이는 전통 가게들과 찻집, 수많은 갤러리들이 서울의 문화관광명소로 가치를 높혀가고~~인근의 운현궁과 천도교 중앙 대교당 및 수운회관...은 전통과 근대 문화적 가치를 지닌 도심의 오아시스요, 스케쳐들에게는 작은 보석과 같은 장소들입니다.

sketches around the large parking lot at Apgujeong-dong, Seoul

Hyundai Department Store in Apgujeong,  pen and watercolor

The large parking lot of Hyundai  Department Store in Apgujeong, pencil and watercolor

nearby Hyundai Apartment complex, pen and watercolor

members of Outdoor Watercolor Artist's Group waiting for the bus, pen and watercolor

Gangnam City Tour bus, pen and watercolor

the overpass crossing Apgujeongno,  pen and watercolor

FarEast Sports Center across the road, pen

Hyundai Department Store viewed from the parking lot, pen

Neighborhood Facilities across the road, pen and watercolor

watercolorists in bus, pencil and watercolor

parking lot gate, pen and watercolor

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( 21 x 29.6cm sketchbook )

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In spring every Sunday morning, members of Korea Outdoor Watercolor Artist's Group used to gather at the large parking lot of Hyundai Department Store in Apgujeong for outdoor painting to the countryside by chartered bus. I've participated in the group frequently for 20 years. Recently every Sunday morning, I arrived on the spot a little earlier, and sketched here and there while waiting for the bus to departure.

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20여년 간 틈나는 대로 일요일 야외 수채화를 그리러 나간 압구정 주차장이 나에게는 그림의 산실과 같습니다. 강남 개발의 개척지인 이 곳도 이미 오래 되고 낯익은 도시처럼 아기자기하고 매력적인 풍경과 인간적인 소재가 넘쳐납니다. 현장 그림에 매료되어 그려 왔던 수많은 전원마을 사생 작업의 나날들이 오늘의 어반 스케치의 밑거름이 되었다고 생각합니다~~
개발의 역사와 더불어 황무지에서 태어난 압구정은 그림의 고향처럼 느껴집니다.