The purpose of this study was to examine the researcher’s self-understanding and self-awareness by reflecting on my life course through ink and Minhwa paintings, and Korean traditional folk paintings, and by exploring autobiographical narratives about the meaning of the experiences. This study emerged from my desire to explore my own life and gain an understanding of what parts of my life are reflected in my paintings and what the painting ultimately represent. In this inquiry, 19 of the works, I completed from 2000 to July 2020 were used as exploration materials; the works were completed while I worked as an artists and were graduation works completed during art college. I analyzed the paintings by classifying them into the works of four stages. The works of the first and second stage are black and white paintings expressed as “trees.” The works of the third stage are color paintings reflecting a search period, and those of the fourth stage are paintings created by using Minhwa painting techniques, which show the red color among the five Korean traditional colors. Using the data related to the four stages, I examined my life experiences and described them via a narrative inquiry method. By incorporating Minhwa paintings into my work activities, my work became a tool to understand myself, and self-reflection through self-work became an opportunity for me to grow into an art therapist. Based on these results, the implications and limitations of this study were then discussed.