Shin Saimdang

Hello, my name is Shin Saimdang. I was an artist who lived a long, long time ago, starting in the year 1504. I loved to paint beautiful pictures of all the things I saw around me. I would look in my garden for ideas for my art. I painted colorful flowers that were bright and pretty. I also painted yummy-looking grapes that were round and purple. My favorite things to paint were the tiny little bugs I saw. I painted pretty butterflies with colorful wings and cute ladybugs with little black dots that I saw crawling on the leaves.

Painting was not my only job. I was also a mommy, and that was a very important job to me. I had seven children, and I loved them all very much. I loved teaching my children new things every day. One of my sons was named Yi I. I taught him how to read wonderful stories from books and how to write his name all by himself. Most importantly, I taught him to always be a kind person to everyone he met. Yi I listened and learned so much from me. He grew up to be very smart and a very important person.

My life was full of art and love for my family. I lived a full life, and even though I am not here anymore, people still remember me today. In a country far away called South Korea, they wanted to honor me for my work. If you ever see their money, you might see my picture on it. They put my picture there to remember me as a great artist and a wonderful mother. It makes me happy that my art and my love for my family are still remembered.