I grew up in a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital. As far back as I can remember I had an abiding interest in all kinds of art. In 1995 I went to the National University on Cheju Island in the very south of Korea to study sculpture. After one year I transferred to Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul to study craft in the broadest sense but I quickly became attached to the ceramics department. I graduated with a BA in 2001 and went on to study for my MA which I completed in 2003. Later I became a teaching assistant at the same university and subsequently a lecturer.
While in Korea I won a number of competitions for my ceramic sculpture which, at that time, was very large scale. Amongst my successes in competitions I won the National Award for Craft Art in 2005 for a very large ceramic sculpture almost the same size as a small car. Along with the honor of winning came a prize of £10,000.
In 2011 I moved to the UK to be with my husband Phil Rogers and we now live in Rhayader, Mid Wales where I make as much as I can while looking after my 2 year old son Ethan. I plan to return to the workshop full time as soon as Ethan is at school.
Presently, I am making tableware which is a fusion of traditional Korean techniques using inlaid white slip and a dark clay and the patterns are influenced by those of William Morris. The technique is complicated. I made a very large, flat master mould by carving the surface of a plaster slab 3 ft x 2 ft from which I can make plate moulds by selecting certain areas of the carved surface. Once the plate is formed it carries the imprint of the carving. I then inlay white slip to fill the hollows and then, when dry, I scrape back the white slip to reveal the crisp and clear pattern underneath. It is both time consuming and makes my back ache!
My pots are fired in any of our three kilns but I prefer to have them in the wood kiln whenever possible. I love the idea of my pots being used everyday unlike a sculpture which is entirely decorative or made to convey a message…I feel that by using my pots they become a familiar and comforting feature of a person's life.
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