WorkArt & Culture

Joanne Nam's new paintings of softly coloured girls that pose awkwardly in nature

With a childhood spent in Korea's lush forests, Los Angeles-based artist Joanne Nam brings nature into all of her paintings of ghostly women.

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Pale figure lying prone among dark foliage and blue-toned leaves, draped in white and burgundy fabric, gazing downward

Her 'oil on wood' artworks feature soft coloured girls, posing awkwardly in various forest settings, suggesting that they might be lost in the woods, foraging for themselves and somehow surviving.

Although some of her more recent portraits include a more urban environment, there are still glimpses of greenery in everything she creates. "I am not going to paint an old man dragging a dead dog," she says – a recurring memory of hers – "However, I would definitely paint a girl feeling the strangely beautiful disturbance."

Discover more of her work on her portfolio. Or follow her latest updates on Instagram.

A girl wearing glasses and a white tank top stands in a misty forest surrounded by tall trees and vegetation, looking pensively to the side
Woman with black hair wearing a white slip dress, seated amongst teal and dark foliage in an oil painting with soft, muted tones
Woman in yellow shirt and red shorts kneeling among lush foliage, holding a watering can and gazing downward in contemplative pose
Pale-faced figure with long dark hair wearing a white draped garment against a dark background, painted by Joanne Nam
Pale-skinned woman with dark hair in white dress, eyes closed, standing against dark teal background with delicate flowering vines
Joanne Nam painting of a pale-skinned girl in a white t-shirt and shorts carrying a brown shoulder bag, standing in an urban alleyway with blue-toned walls and flowers
Woman in black clothing holding a staff, crouching amongst overgrown vegetation and tangled branches in a forest setting
Pale-skinned girl with black hair wearing a red hoodie and strawberry-print shirt, standing amongst lush green strawberry plants with ripe red berries
Pale-faced woman in black clothing against a textured background of earthy browns and forest greens, her posture tense and contemplative
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