In Jeolla-do, lacquer trees grew all over the country, and many good lacquerware was produced early on, and painting was also popular as wood furniture and woodwork developed around Namwon and Jeonju. Born in 1954, Lee Eui-sik learned lacquer from Choi Kyu-han and Choi Hwan-hee. Lee Eui-sik's lacquer work is famous for its gloss, strength and excellent brushwork that shows the level of refining the paint. He won a number of prizes at the Jeonseung Crafts Competition and the National Crafts Competition, and won a silver prize at the 1993 International Design Competition in Japan.