Hi! I’m Helen. I’m an artist based in Washington, DC.

I was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to DC when I was eight years old. I started drawing after watching a Victoria's Secret fashion show with my mom as a kid. I loved the glittery outfits and the wings — I decided right then I wanted to be a fashion designer and started drawing fashion illustrations. Illustration eventually led me to painting, and it's been my greatest love ever since.

After a very brief stint in art school, I dropped out and eventually made my way to Georgetown University to study computer science. I spent several years working at an early-stage startup, building and designing things every day. But while I was there, the pull towards painting — towards something made slowly, by hand — never went away.

Earlier this year I was let go from that startup, and instead of immediately finding a new engineering role, I decided to stop postponing what I love most. I've been documenting my transition from tech to art through my Layoff Diaries series on social media, and the response has meant a lot. It turns out a lot of people are in the same boat as me.

I work in oils, and I'm still figuring out my own voice as an artist. I love painting fruit, flowers, and landscapes — the kind of subjects that reward slow looking. I'm drawn to the way light falls on ordinary objects, and to the painters who spent their whole careers paying attention to the same things.

My original paintings and prints will be available in my shop on June 1st, 2026. See you then!