This is Eugene’s Diary and He’s Got a Lot to Say

"I started dabbling with painting about five, six years ago. I kind of stumbled upon it. I feel like painting found me. It wasn't something I actively thought I would pursue. I had so many other careers beforehand.."

Growing up, art wasn’t viewed as a reasonable career path for multidisciplinary artist and ACC student, Eugene Yoon, who recently exhibited over 150 original artworks at the Jantzen Gallery for his solo show, "This is My Diary (…& I Hav A LoT 2 SaY!) #UNmuzzld".

"I looked back and realized it was always in me as a kid but, growing up, art was kind of convinced out of me as a reasonable path to pursue, and so I just completely abandoned it. I did pursue film school though. That was the way I thought I was gonna be creative."

After film school and a series of different jobs, Eugene discovered a common thread connecting his work.

"What I learned during that time of job hopping was there's one common through-line that always motivates my work and it’s social advocacy. If there isn't some kind of message bigger than me, I find myself not being able to produce with the kind of motivation I have when I do have a purpose."

When Eugene started painting, it became a way to fully process, express and release difficult and celebratory experiences in his life. 

"Painting was the one place I felt like I could just journal and express myself. For two, three years, it was just me privately processing what I felt like I couldn't take anywhere else or say to anyone else. So, I took it to the canvas."

For a long time, Eugene kept those paintings to himself until one day, his boyfriend and partner, Clint Duvo, saw them.  

"I tried to hide them and then Clint saw all these paintings locked away in a storage unit that no one had seen and said, ‘You need to take this seriously. You have a talent.’ He believed in me at a time I didn't believe in myself. So, I leaned on his motivation and belief in me."

In addition to Clint’s support, Eugene’s experience at Arapahoe Community College became pivotal to his artistic journey. 

"I think my professor recognized that I was the only one staying after class till five, six, seven, eight o’clock. I really wanted to paint. It wasn't a homework assignment. I'm not here to get credit or a degree. I'm here to learn and just do what I love."

After class ended, Eugene would often stay in the studio and paint.

"It was oftentimes just me. And Nathan (Nathan Ables, ACC Art & Design Faculty and Eugene’s professor) was so supportive, he just let me play back there in the painting studio."

Eventually, that dedication caught the attention of ACC Art & Design Chair, Katie Caron, who offered Eugene an exhibition at the Jantzen Gallery.

"They had no idea that I had all these paintings and over 150 artworks."

Eugene credits Nathan with helping him find confidence in his work.

"I think a professor can make a big difference, and Nathan played a pivotal role in my confidence. He recognizes that everybody has a different style, and he doesn't push his own style. He gives honest feedback catered to you but then at the end of the day says, ‘Go with your gut.’"

"That kind of environment created such a safe space for all of us to experiment in the way that felt authentic to us. I realized that's what I needed to give me the confidence to keep failing and failing. Nathan was a huge mentor.”

For Eugene, that encouragement created a community where he could experiment, fail and continue developing his own voice.

Today, Eugene has turned art into a full-time pursuit.

"Now it's a full-time job. I paint at least four, six or eight hours a day. And if it's before a show, it's around the clock."

His work explores themes of social advocacy, history, and even love stories. 

"My work is a bit of a mystery. It's like a puzzle. There's so much to take in. I like that there's hidden features."

Many of his paintings invite viewers into that puzzle through the familiarity of handwriting, and the unfamiliarity of messy, backwards, and scribbled-out handwriting, all of which has a purpose.

"I used to pride myself in how legible my handwriting was. When I was growing up one of the things I always got complimented on was how legible, neat, and perfect it was. But now, I battle that neatness. I don’t want it to be perfect.  I’m trying to be intentionally and mindfully messy. I am connecting back to the part of me that paints and scribbles from a childlike instinct.  Another thing I realized when I took a step back and looked at my art from the viewer’s point of view is that my early paintings were too literal. I would paint phrases like “Use my voice for good.” And I believe that. I believe in everything that I write and paint. But sometimes when it's too literal, it feels like I'm preaching down someone's throat. So, now, I obscure the text like a puzzle. I misspell words, use backwards letters, and incorporate all kinds of cryptic iconography, and complex codes, and mathematical symbols. And then I’ll paint over all of it and cross out some of the words, add more symbols on top of symbols, so that it eventually becomes a big multilayered riddled mystery. That way, I invite the viewer to become more of a participant. They have to decipher the message like an archaeologist trying to decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Or a scientist trying to solve a complex math problem. They have to figure out what it means."

Eugene has a prolific body of work, with several distinct series taking shape.

Xperiment #75: A Love Story: Clint x Eugene (Version: 2025 Bday Gift)

There’s a series dedicated to relationships and love. His relationship with Clint is featured in A Love Story: Clint x Eugene and he wants to continue this series by honoring different kinds of love. 

"I want to paint about love stories that challenge our idea of love and expand it so it’s not just romantic love, but stories between family, between friends, between strangers. I want to find powerful beautiful love stories from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds and then capture inside jokes or references to that love that expand our definition of what love can look like outside of the cookie-cutter rom-com Hollywood, man-woman archetype."

Another one of Eugene’s collections, The Halo Series, honors people who have either made a monumental contribution to society or whose contributions are often overlooked. One of those paintings, Carlotta's Halo & Her Holy Dress, is dedicated to Carlotta Walls LaNier, one of the first Black students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and at the age of fourteen, became a historic civil rights icon as a member of The Little Rock Nine. Eugene had the pleasure of meeting Carlotta in person. Deeply moved by her experience, Eugene asked if he could honor Carlotta’s story through painting and she gave him her blessing. 

Xperiment #79: Carlotta's Halo & Her Holy Dress

Eugene knows that there are other Carlotta’s in the world who deserve honor for their courage and sacrifice. But he also knows that there are many others who may never be recognized or honored. 

"I want to honor people who have done extraordinary things in their lives that have paved the way for someone like me – and for all of us -- to live a better life. At the same time, I also want to honor people who do thankless jobs, like our janitors and cashiers, and put halos around them. It's because of them that the world operates. But they don't get thanked. It's unsexy work. I'm very thankful that I get to live a life of purpose. But what about the millions of people that don’t get to live their life of purpose? They may not have the means to. Or the privilege. Or simply were born in a place that is under-resourced and under-served. What about all the people who go to work, put in long hours for not much pay, and then they go home to feed and nurture their kids, and then they do that over and over again every day? Or all the good-hearted people out there who do thankless jobs that may be hard and boring? That is a sacrifice I want to honor and put a halo around."

Eugene sees his art as more than something to look at. He hopes it creates conversations.

"I love painting about relevant sociopolitical topics, or my own viewpoints on them as a proud gay-Asian human who is often marginalized and pushed to the fringes of society – even if I am oftentimes punished for speaking up -- because I hope that it opens the door for dialogue."

"To get my message across, sometimes I rely on media to tell the story so that people don’t have to visit just the art museum to access my work. I find different ways of trying to get the message out there. The other thing I understand about art is that not everybody’s going to understand the message behind it. And that's okay too. With the pieces that do have specific meaning, it is important for me for people to know the context. So, I work with media to talk about the meanings of those specific paintings. I also try to spark dialogue about important topics on my own social media. And what I'm also doing is creating a website where I'm selling a bunch of different products, stickers and apparel and tote bags, along with my original paintings, because what’s important to me is that my art is accessible to all."

In creating art around his and others’ stories, Eugene has found the path he wants to pursue. 

"This feels right. Painting feels like the way I can creatively express myself the best. I'm sticking with this and I'm trying to build a life and career around art and hopefully leave behind a legacy with it."

His dreams extend far beyond Colorado.

"I think Denver will be a home base, but I've always envisioned a life where I'm hopefully getting residencies all over."
Amsterdam, New York, and Korea are a few places he’s interested in attending residencies. 

"The residencies would allow me to create art in different locations around the world and learn from different cultures and celebrate them within my paintings. I think every culture has something to offer, something we can learn from. So, I would be honored and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel around the world and create art. Create stories. Create change. And, as a bonus, my partner and I could live abroad all over the globe. That would be amazing. That is my dream."

Eugene Yoon’s story is a reminder that finding your path is both personal and communal. His art combines self-expression and connection, honoring the people whose stories have left a lasting mark on his life and the lives of others.

To see more of Eugene’s art and view upcoming exhibitions, visit his website.

At ACC’s 60th Anniversary Gala on October 1, Eugene will donate 50% of the proceeds from his artwork sold that evening to support ACC students and programs.

To view ACC’s non-credit programs and classes, visit the WCP website. 

To view Art & Design programs and classes, visit the Art program webpage.