Sookyi Lee

Artist Statement

The beauty of nature is both omnipresent and illusive. Although beauty is everywhere, we have masked ourselves from understanding or even seeing this beauty. We have trained ourselves to be ashamed of our bodies and become increasingly apathetic to the beauty of the natural world. The goal of my work is to seek, capture, understand and unleash the innate beauty that lies silently dormant within human figure and in nature. Only then can I invite the viewer to pierce through their conventional perceptions and penetrate the beauty within all things.

Education

2006

MFA in fine art, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California.



1998

BFA in industrial and craft design, Hong-ik University, Seoul, Korea.




Awards and Honors
2009

The National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 19th "Best of America" Exhibition

Bosque Conservatory's 24th Annual Conservatory Art Classic

Salon International 2009 Juried Exhibition - Jury's Top 50



2008

The National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 18th "Best of America" Exhibition - Best Portrait award

Bosque Conservatory's 23rd Annual Conservatory Art Classic

Hudson Valley Art Association's 77th Annual Exhibition



2007

The National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 17th "Best of America" Exhibition

MidAmerica Pastel Society 2007 National Exhibition

The Society of Master Impressionists International 2007 Exhibition

The American Juried Art Salon 2007 Spring-Summer show



2006

The National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 16th "Best of America" Exhibition - NOAPS Founder Endowment Fund "Drawn From Life" award

The Maryland Pastel Society 2006 Shades of Pastel National Juried Exhibition - Best Portrait Polly Mitchell Memorial Award

Expressions West 2006 National Juried Exhibition - Entry of Merit Award

Academy of Art University Spring show - Student Choice 1st Place in MFA fine art

Portrait Society of America 8th National competition - Award of Excellence

Oil Painters of America’s 15th National Juried Exhibition

Salon International 2006 Juried Exhibition - Honorable Mention / Jury's Top 50

Hilton Head Art League National Juried Art Exhibition

The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles West 44 Illustration competition

PBCC Second Annual National competition - Honorable mention

North Valley Art League’s 22nd Annual National - Award of Excellence

The Baker Arts Center’s 9th National Juried Art competition



2005

Art Center of Estes Park’s 9th annual art competition - 1st place in Oil painting

Northern Arts Council National Art Competition - Donor Award

Art Kudos" 2005 International Juried Art competition

Northern National Art Competition

Academy of Art University Spring show - MFA Painting 1st Place in Illus Dept

The society of illustrators of Los Angeles West 43 Competition



2004

21st the ‘Artist’s’ Magazine’s competition in portrait and figure category

The New York Society of Illustrators annual scholarship competition

Academy of Art University Spring show - MFA Drawing 1st Place in Illus Dept

© Sookyi Lee