Hi There,
The new chair design has been approved by my client - we had a couple of versions from which we bounced ideas off each other. We've decided to go with a Korean inspired landscape that could also be a Canadian one upon first glance. I have subtley incorporated the symbols of both of the Korean and Canadian flags into the pond/seat of the chair. The ying yang of the Korean flag is emulated with the fish and there is a floating maple leaf representing Canada.
The overall design of the chair mainly features elements that exist in both countries landscapes... the Korean meaning behind each of the elements is what carries the Korean theme further. For instance, in Korea there is a Sunrise festival every year which represents the begining of a new year. I felt that was particularily significant at the onset of the child's birthday. That's why I chose to have a sunrise as a part of the design.
On the back of the chair I chose a nightime scene to highlight his name and the meaning of his name, Shines Brightly. It also allowed me to add 5 bats which is very good luck... only people who'd researched that would know... otherwise, there again, Canada has bats :)
Other images with meaning that are incorporated into the design are a deer, turtle, mandarin ducks, tiger, rose of sharron, bamboo and a butterfly. Please follow the following link to view the meanings of the symbols: http://english.gangnam.go.kr/koreanpattern/index.htm
Progress: The base painting of the chair is half finished.
Due Date: Mid-October of this year... so stay tuned for images of the completed chair!
If you have any questions regarding this design or my process please feel free to contact me.
Cheers!
Kelly
