Jooyun originates from Seoul, South Korea where she completed Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramic Art,

before making the brave and challenging decision to relocate to Australia to start a new life more than a decade ago.

Her upbringing and education in South Korea may contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of her work.

When she decided to settle in Stanthorpe, a rural town in QLD, her inspiration and motivation were influenced

by the particular landscape of this region - it’s trees and nature. 

Jooyun has been a finalist in statewide competitions and has exhibited at galleries in Gosford NSW,

as well as in Melbourne, Eltham, Brunswick VIC,

in Bundaberg, Gladstone, Cooroy, Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Stanthorpe QLD. 

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GETTING out of the competitive rat-race of Seoul was a major reason behind Jooyun Lim's decision to come to Australia more than a decade ago. 

As an art lover since she was little, pen and paper were her favourite tools to play that she could always draw something and coloured them. Early days of her life she considered photography as she studied 3 years in high school but abandoned that idea as "I'm tiny, carrying the camera bags would be so hard” before her mother inspired her to take up ceramics.

"I really got the right feeling when I did it when I touch the clay," she said.

" I am making something from nothing.”

As a graduate of a prestigious university with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and working in the rarefied field of ceramics, thinking that ceramics was "not a real job”, she enrolled in an interior design course and while detailed hand-drawn plans of ideal apartments and restaurants came easily, she "was really bad at computing” and left the course. she hardly expected to end up living in a hamlet like Stanthorpe, gathering her own eggs and home grown vegetables and working at apple orchard. 

Her piece Sunset in the Mountains' won second prize in the ceramic category at the local art prize Stanthorpe in 2019. A wheel-thrown tea set also won a first prize and most outstanding work at the Stanthorpe Show 2018, those moments were definitely encouraged her to get more participating in local event and community. 

While she enjoys working on her highly technical pieces, Jooyun now has a stand at  local market called

the Market in the Mountains, where she is happy to "share little things” and meet people as well as selling at the local art gallery boutique.

Her fine work is on display - should anybody have several hundred dollars to buy it - but she also has cups and small pots at much more affordable prices.

"I am really happy to see people share my little things,” she said.

"If people buy it they care about it as they paid for it.”

It's quite a change from Korea, where many of her classmates either continued to do master's degrees and then teach in universities or entered the highly competitive world of mounting exhibitions.

"It's really hard to get a job, to make money,” she said.

"There are very talented people, the successful ones, you can count them.”

Working as a tutor teaching children for five years and finding "a lot of attitude” in the art world,  Jooyun decided on something different. Further study was out of the question as she couldn't afford it. 

That was Australia and eventually Stanthorpe.

While admitting she would find it hard to live in Korea again.

"It is peaceful here. Life in Korea can be very competitive,” she said.

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