Interview with Sungsook Setton

The Improper Hamptonian Magazine (August 2003)
Interview by Joel Fredric Hopkins

Sungsook Setton lives and works in Setauket plying her craft of sumi-e painting. Setton proves with a well-crafted discipline that regardless of this traditional Asian art form stretching back numerous centuries, new and genuinely unique paths are left to explore. She has been working and living on Long Island for almost a decade and recently, she completed one of the most beautiful studios imaginable.

Setton primarily works in the early hours of the morning so that her mind is clear and her attention is focused on her work. In addition to perfecting her skill as sumi-e painter, she is also very active in the study of the traditions that guide sumi-e painting. Sungsook insists that sumi-e painting actually has a significant grounding in the Taoist philisophies of East Asia.

Partly for this reason, Setton spends mcuh of her time teaching and passing ther art form on to students by offering several classes which she holds in her basement studio. Her husband, an accomplished scholar of East Asian, especially Korean Chinese Philosophy aids in her classes, helping to give the proper philosophical grounding of sumi-e painting.

In 2000 when she was awarded the top two prizes in the annual exhibition of the Sumi-e Society of America. She has contributed to a variety of group shows and has had several solo shows at the gallery that currently represents her B.J.Spoke gallery in Huntington, New York. Setton continues show her work as well as teach regularly throughout the year.

The Improper Hamptonian: Where were you born?
Sungsook Setton: Korea, the southwestern part. Changhung, in Cholla province. That place is well known for its student demonstrations. Historically, Cholla province has been the nest of exiled critical scholars.

IHM: When were you born?
SS: 1952. During the Korean War.

IHM: Did you study art there while growing up?
SS: No, Actually, I went to nursing school. I wanted to become an artist when I was young. I was good at art in elementary school. I thought maybe there was talent there. My parents were against it. They had nine children, seven girls. In those days going art school wasn’t an option. We were forced to go to practical school, either becoming a teacher or a nurse. I decided to go to nursing school After the Korean war with the [poor] economy, we had to struggle. Also because of the political situation we couldn’t go abroad that easily. We could go abroad, however, as a nurse. We [Korean nurses] had certain contracts those days with countries such as Germany. Korean nurses were very popular. As soon as I finished I went to Germany.

IHM: How long were you in Germany?
SS: Ten years. I started art as soon as I got there, part time. Then I met my husband and things changed.

IHM: Do you work full-time as an artist now?
SS: Well, actually, what does that mean “full-time artist?” I have children. After I got married I left my job [as a nurse]. I’m a mom, as well as, a wife of a scholar who used to teach at Stony Brook University, currently he teaches at University of Bridgeport.

IHM: When did you start painting.
SS: This particular art form I started in 1981.

IHM: You said you showed promise in elementary school, and you studied art in Germany. What did you do before taking up sumi-e in 1981?
SS: Mostly western art. My secret [reason] for going [to Germany] was to study. I was so interested in Western art.

IHM: What is sumi-e painting?
SS: It’s a Japanese word. Sumi means ink, and e means painting. Sumi-e also means meditation in ink, that is another way to understand it.

IHM: How is meditation a part of sumi-e painting?
SS: Well, the ink stone and the ink stick are a part of sumi-e. Water is place on the ink stone, and then you grind the ink on the inkstick into the stone. Very often, especially in calligraphy class, you spend more time grinding ink rather than writing. One meditates during this. But, the whole art form is meditative.

IHM: What is the history of this art form?
SS: More than thousand years ago in China and Korea, in order to become a high ranking civil servant, a series of exams had to be taken. Part of the examination was calligraphy. So called Scholar Bureaucraters were practicing this art form, as means of self cultivation.

IHM: What are the advantages to working with sumi-e as opposed to working with something like oil?
SS: This whole art form resembles so closely to Asian thought. There are Taoist, Zen, and to an extent, Confucian ideas behind it. I worked with oils and watercolor in Germany, but I realized I should also know my own roots. There are big differences. I try to combine eastern and western ideas. However, I love my materials, the so called four treasures (inkstone, inkstick, brush and rice paper). People say that this is probably the most earnest art form. Sumi-e painter uses such thin paper in combination with a very sensitive brush. Once you put ink on the paper, that is it.

IHM: Some of your paintings are landscapes from Long Island. What do you find particularly interesting or challenging about capturing a Long Island landscape using sumi style painting?
SS: Long Island is very flat. Traditional Asian landscapes has mountains, and many different layers. One of the main differences of sumi-e and oil is the abundance of negative space in the former. Almost as important as what I paint is what I don’t paint. Several paintings of Long Island started with so much fervor and character, but always ended very flat.

IHM: When ladscape painting, do you go to the source itself, plein air painting, or do you work from documented source material?
SS: Mostly I paint from photographs, though I do sketch outdoors. I do most of my work in studio.

IHM: How long have you been living in Long Island?
SS: Since 1994.

IHM: Did you immediately begin to address your new surroundings in your art, or did you take time to explore the Island?
SS: I did landscapes while my husband was earning his PhD from Oxford. Oxford is such a beautiful city. I always liked landscapes, it came natural to paint them here.

IHM: Do you have any favorite spots in the Island?
SS: In general, I love the trees and little hills on Long Island. The North Fork is wonderful, especially its beaches. Also, the dunes around the Hamptons.