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Prince Uryel (:Uryel Cho)

I am a genuine descendant of KwangYun Zhao, the founder emperor of Song dynasty in China in 960. I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, and I immigrated to Vancouver in Canada with my family when I was nineteen.

My inner life in a foreign land was unpredictable while all things seemed steady and quite. One day, I had to make a outrageously brave decision changing my academic major when I hit the wall of limit of my capability ignoring my true self's desire for too long. So I decided to go to an Art school at Naropa University, and submitted an art portfolio created by my own stubborn, but daring spiritual motivation. How extremely lucky I was, I was accepted to Visual Art program along with great mutual support from Professor Robert Spellman who saw my potential becoming an influential artist.

I started to study Chinese art and Calligraphy with a renowned master Chinese calligrapher, Harrison Xinshi Tu, and the western art history and painting for a B.A in visual arts at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. At that time, my art was mostly inspired by intensive Zen meditation practices and transpersonal psychology studies in Tibetan Buddhist perspective. Also, most importantly, my significant influence becoming an inspirational abstract artist following the absolute inner truth is painting Professor Joan Anderson.

In 2003, I was accepted to the undergraduate sculpture program at Arizona State University. I was eager to learn every possible art making for that I might be teaching at school someday. Mostly, I acquired practical skills for fine wood carving and various metal welding. Unlike my contemplative life in Boulder, my energy was transformed for passion and desire for achievements in making three dimensional art. I have successfully completed the B.F.A program in 2005, and quite a few pieces of mine were selected and exhibited at the college galleries, local art shows, and the Youth Museum in Arizona.

Then I moved back to Vancouver and joined the South Surrey White Rock Art Society and the Federation of Canadian Artists in 2009. I have participated many art society activities and exhibited my abstract oil paintings in White Rock, Granville Island, and Vancouver. I am teaching traditional Chinese calligraphy classes at the gallery in the central plaza in White Rock, B.C from January 2010.

Living as a painter in Canada, I have been focused on creating something stimulating with primary colors in a high contrast. Since art schools, I have been always fascinated by Wassily Kandinsky’s style, his way of using primary colors followed by a unique combination of the geometric shapes. Also, Francesco Clementé’s pure and subliminal approach to art has been another good influence to my art. Later on, I tried to take more challenges creating abstract figures reflected on significant historical evidences. For example, last year, I started a oil paintings series which have been inspired by one of my ancestors, the prince of the second emperor of Song dynasty. In fact, his family had immigrated to BaeChun in Korea in 979, 999 years before my birth. I was irresistibly attracted and excited to their
courage and promise moving in a new territory. For its similarity of my current social life in Vancouver as a martial artist leader, I found myself easily involved as if I were a reincarnation of the prince. Completing this series, I was satisfied to re-define my honorable identity, and I was
able to find a new spiritual connection and mutual respect with my legendary ancestors. This awakening experience was like witnessing the dawn followed by so many neon light beams breaking the darkness through. Each piece took me about three weeks to complete and there
have been no extraordinary medium or tools used in the process.

Portfolio: