Born 1954; Barataria, Trinidad

Naturally creative, but without access to standard art supplies in the fifties, Soo Lum turned to calligraphy and collage work. This could be construed as the initial steps in her artistic career. By the late sixties, she had graduated from color pencils to watercolors, painting for pleasure while pondering the purpose of art. In the early seventies, her medium of opportunity was oil paint on hardboard, with which she won her first art competition in Port of Spain (1973). Into the eighties, Soo Lum was doubly employed - raising a family and working in the field of Information Technology. In the nineties, she pursued formal art studies (including sculpture and printmaking) at Dundas Valley School of the Arts, and at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Consequently, these experiences have influenced and informed the direction and stylistic qualities of her artwork. Having experimented with a variety of media, Soo Lum then focused on painting exclusively with the best quality traditional oils on stretched canvas.

As the turn of the century approached, Soo Lum began a series of paintings on the theme of "time". This body of work was first displayed at Jackson Square in Hamilton, Ontario, where she had established herself as an emerging artist by the year 2001. She has also participated in several group exhibitions in the Greater Toronto area, showing a selection of landscapes and portraiture on a grand scale. Internationally, Soo Lum's next successful career milestone was winning a major Caribbean Regional Art Competition in 2003.

Dismissing the idea of painting in the open air as a romantic notion, Soo Lum generally executes her paintings in an indoor workshop where the painting project is developed from the infrastructure to the compositional planning. However, Soo Lum is a wanderer. Her ideas are nurtured by the experiences of her travels which she believes are integral to her progression as an artist. Indeed, her artwork reflects cultural exchanges. Her intention is to present her pieces as not only aesthetically pleasing objects but also as vehicles of language. Her paintings are "art stories", and her recent exhibitions in Trinidad continue to highlight cross-cultural excerpts of the global village. Soo Lum's ulterior motive (if she is allowed one!) is to facilitate intercultural communication.