Jue Sota, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently based in London and Cornwall has been working and studying as a craftsperson, artist, and builder in the U.K since 2007.

Jue studied undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in London and graduated with distinction from Kingston University, and has also completed natural and traditional building courses with School of Natural Building and the Prince’s Foundation.

Driven by a passion for exploring traditional materials and processes in a modern context, Jue takes on a wide range of projects with an artistic intuitive sense and skill. Using natural materials and working predominately with earth, lime and straw, Jue repairs traditional buildings sympathetically and uses a blend of traditional and modern techniques on new builds.

As a builder, artist and craftsperson, Jue holistically integrates her playfulness and curiosity into her practice through experimenting in tool making, drawing, painting, carving into natural materials, foraging, sewing and installation sculpture.

Jue also has experience of teaching these crafts to ‘hard to reach’ groups such as LGBTQIA+ people, refugees, young people, neurodiverse, and unemployed in workshops and a short course in London and Folkestone. This is something Jue would like to do more of, as Jue enjoys facilitating a space to support people to reconnect with nature. Jue is passionate about giving people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to access these resources, a chance to find empowerment though natural materials and ancient processes.

With several years of experience of volunteering and working on various builds and projects across the U.K., Europe and the U.S.A., Jue has a wide ranging portfolio and honed skills in building crafts and as an artist. Recently, Jue was a consultant for the building of a small strawbale classroom at May Project Gardens, London. Jue also taught workshops plastering the classroom with lime and clay involving people from the community and refugees working with the organisation. Last year, Jue took part in the sympathetic repointing of a earth and cobble floor and earth/ lime plastering repair of a 1700s class A bothy in Scotland with Stick in the Mud Conservation. In March 2021, Jue taught two workshops on lime plastering over wood woollen boards to a group of 5 women and non-binary participants in Folkestone.

Website: www.juesota.com

Instagram @Jue Sota