For the Juxtapoz 15th Anniversary Art Auction, Saelee Oh donated two beautiful acrylic, watercolor and graphite pieces on hand cut paper from her recent show, “I Know What You’re Thinking”. The pieces have that delicate, dreamy quality that characterizes Saelee’s work.

“To me, empty space and what you edit out is just as important as what you put in.”  The process seems daunting.

I ask her about what she does if her hand slips or cuts a shape wrong. Thinking about it, Saelee responds, “You always hit those moments in a middle of a piece where you worry that it’s going to be a total disaster. That’s the fun of it, these little mistakes that you make. Corrections. Adjustments. The discoveries you make along the way. It’s why I make art.”

A few minutes later she continues, “You realize that things take time. And that inspiration comes from all different places. Art and life, it seems so cliché, but…” She shrugs and smiles. What’s to be unhappy about?

-Excerpt from Nina Lacour’s feaure with Saelee Oh, Juxtapoz #82; November 2007.