User:Vanahail/Selina Kucks

Selina Kucks new article content ...

Selina Kucks new article content ... Who Selina Agnes Kucks, (Australian English /ˈbiːətrɪks/,[1] British English also /ˈbiːtrɪks/,[2] 14th April, 1964) also known as Sketa or S.K. Sketa, is an Australian writer, artist, actress, director, teacher and entrepreneur - well known for her children's books featuring animals, such as those in Possum Tales, her intricate pen and ink drawings; stage and television appearances; and cultural reporting. Early life Sketa was born into a middle-class household in South Brisbane, Australia to parents: Alwyn Adrian Kucks – a photographer / teacher and Sylvia Anne Kucks (Pearce) a piano teacher. She was educated in the public-school system and for the most part - grew up in Toowoomba on the Darling Downs, alongside her three siblings. Growing up, she had numerous pets and spent her holidays sketching and painting; attending the local ballet academy or preparing for upcoming musical performances on the Darling Downs. Sketa developed a love of colour, intricate line and design, which can easily be seen throughout her children’s books, gift and stationary collections; and in her watercolour and abstract paintings. Being hyperactive and a perfectionist - much like her late father, she spends hours preparing and exacting her artistic works, and finds it difficult to settle in the evenings until she is totally exhausted. She is renowned for 3am finishes and the Agent General for Queensland – the Honourable Tom McVeigh once stated, “she completes more in a day, than others do in a lifetime”. Educate & Perform Although Sketa is highly artistic, she is a learned woman, having completed multiple arts degrees and MA/Ph.D studies in Diplomacy and Statecraft. Her love of books and learning follows a similar relationship she has with dance and maintaining fitness. She was once quoted as saying, “one cannot maintain a fit body, if the mind is unfit.” It goes without saying, Sketa is multi-lingual; regularly assists governments and councils with incoming Korean and Australian delegations to the Australasian region; interprets and translates books from Korean to English, government documents and educational material. She is widely respected for her cultural reporting for the likes of MBC, KBS and Arirang Television in the Korean Asian region. The act of reporting fell into Sketa’s lap after an outstanding rendition of Sim’chong-ga - Korean Pansori Opera, at the 1993 Taejon World Expo - Folk Arts Singing Competition. Selina became an overnight sensation, after taking home the top award in the traditional singing category, worth over $2500. Selina had visited the country prior, as an entertainer for the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, Para-Olympics and the World Tour and Trade Festival. Write & teach In Sketa’s mid-thirties, she reconnected with her writing and illustrating, but didn’t manage to publish her first book until 2009. Her first self-published, highly successful young adult, children’s book was: part 1 of The Parchment Series. Following this, Sketa took up writing and illustrating children's books on a semi, full-time basis while television reporting and educating, underprivileged Korean children on the border of North and South Korea. To date, Sketa has written over twelve books; the best known being her children’s collection of Possum Tales.

Legacy & Also With books on her mind and a keen urge for independence, Sketa’s entrepreneurial spirit again kicked in, in 2014, with the official launch of ELK Publishing. This became an outlet for her books and served to further grow her business acumen. 2016 became the year of Sketa Oz Design, which propelled a design and giftware line based on her intricate, pen and ink drawings that she continues to produce alongside maintaining the publishing outlet. Family Sketa lives with her son and cocker spaniel dog, Flicker – sharing her time between Australia and Korea.