SUJIN BEC
Artist statement
We live in, are one with, and need nature. I work with mediums from the natural world like clay, porcelain, and wood because I want to feel closer to nature. As an artist, I want to express an appreciation for nature and the importance of preserving it. Through simple but detailed framed landscapes painted with a fine brush on porcelain teacups with hand-carved wooden handles, people can further immerse themselves in nature when using my teacups for practical use. The harmony of porcelain with wood adds more joy to a cup of tea. For instance, when I am painting on the porcelain cups, with the underglazes and color slip, I recall the view of mountains from my window. This type of nostalgia brings warm joy to me.
Touching the teapots and teacups is entirely different from experiencing my paintings of a tea party. Sometimes the aesthetic of the tea and joy of the tea party cannot be completely expressed by a 3D art piece. In my paintings, I want to capture a moment of motion to engage people for them to imagine the moment in the painting instead of just as a still-life. By using a warm palette, a piece can deliver the warm feelings of the cup of tea. With the artistic features such as the contrast of brightness, background colors, and texture on paper I try to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. For example, watermarks in a painting are intentional to help the viewer envision and truly feel the moment of the dreamlike tea party. The combinations of my smooth brush strokes and technique make the moment of pouring tea more realistic by not being like a photo. That is what I want to capture in my watercolor pieces; I want to capture the movement, and essence of the tea party. Combining two art forms, pottery and watercolor painting together cerebrally invites you to the tea party, instead of just an art show.
Artist biography
Sujin Bec was born and raised in Busan, South Korea, currently the second-largest city in Korea. As a child, she witnessed the city’s growth from a rural countryside village to a bustling economic powerhouse. Even more uniquely she was raised in one of the first apartment blocks in the area, now wedged distinctly between the modern city and an expansive untouched mountainous region. Literally having lived between mother nature and modernity, Sujin always preferred to enjoy her time in the mountains, fishing and catching frogs instead of navigating the modern cityscape. This same sentiment can be seen in how she later chose to move to the quiet island of Guam as opposed to moving to a bigger city in pursuit of her art education.
From her time in South Korea to Guam, she continued to appreciate the beauty of nature and the fight for its preservation. Sujin believes nature gives us life and it is our responsibility to give back. She shows this appreciation in her art by focusing on the beauty in nature and creating a feeling of comfort that nature provides.
Sometimes she becomes too attached to a work of art because she strives to create a perfect piece. This desire for perfection can prevent her from moving on to another work of art. For instance, during her first few semesters at the University of Guam, she only produced four to five art pieces per semester because she could not finish the works when it was in the ending stages of the painting. This was due to her anxiety caused by not wanting to end certain endeavors. By meditating on nature, Sujin learned about balance. Just as nature is cyclical and balanced she learned to accept that things must grow as they naturally will. Through awareness of this natural cycle, Sujin learned to let go of things to be able to move on as nature does.
aRT WORKS
