Julie
My body of work focuses on three directions: observational drawings, portraits portraying emotion, and the destruction of nature. I focused primarily on portraiture and emotion. By making three pieces, each a series, I aim for the viewer to understand how emotions over one’s lifespan change as my artworks display contrasting age groups and how emotions may accordingly shift.
My main body of work explores emotion in faces. All three pieces are carefully curated series made using stencils which allow for the pieces to focus on the message rather than the detail. The stencils used in each piece had 4 to 5 layers, and had to be carefully cut and aligned to obtain the final product. This was inspired by Banksy’s use of stencils. Colours are used in all three pieces to draw the link to emotion. Opa has spirals of colours connoting happiness and light, even having bright yellow paint behind my grandfather’s portrait to symbolise an angelic and heavenly personality in the piece. I was inspired by Warhol whose works have recurring patterns in different colours. Moreover, Knight and Intertwined, act as appreciators of Parisian architecture through 3D and 2D elements. Knight’s showed the architectural detail through the drawn quality and the clay sculpture represents a 3D interpretation. Lastly in Burnt, is intended to be a piece to make the audience reflect on their impact on the environment, by painting trees I photographed in California. The background of the painting was inspired by Mark Rothko, who layers contrasting colours to create deep layers of colour.
Upon walking into the gallery, an archway frames Burnt, allowing the audience distance to view the piece. It is displayed alone on a wall to accentuate the looming trees depicted in the painting, and so there is a focus on just the painting. The shape of my exhibition space is a u-shape, with one main wall exhibiting my main collection, the portraits displaying different emotions. This is also my most colourful work, so as the audience walks into my area, their attention is shifted to these pieces. The pieces are displayed based on the subject, and ordered from young to old to facilitate the aim of my exhibition. Lastly, my observational work is displayed on a separate wall, as the work is more intimate and detailed and is a break from the colourful work.
Kobe (June 2023)
Acrylic on Wood
73cm x 60cm
Kobe is a stencilled portrait showing childhood bliss. The face is from a picture taken of my brother. I made two pieces using different colours: purple and green, which are harmonious and natural. The medium used is acrylic paint which allows the colours to be opaque, and therefore further helps to convey the message through bright colours. My previous piece called Shout inspired this one, as I wanted to further my use of faces to express a message using stencil to simplify the subject.
Opa (December 2023)
Acrylic on Wood
59cm X 84cm
Opa was inspired by a picture taken of my late grandfather. The piece is named after the Dutch word “opa.” The background originates from pictures of landscapes of sunsets I took while in California, that transformed into circles of colour, emulating a halo and light. The gradient of circles was inspired by the works of James Turnell who does installations with light. Moreover, this work was additionally inspired by my earlier use of silhouettes.
Burnt (November 2023)
Acrylic on Canvas
150cm x 200cm
Burnt was a piece inspired by the destruction of nature due to human consequences and is meant to subtly show the repercussions of our actions with regards to the environment. The colour palette emphasises this message, as there is a mix of blues and reds. Mark Rothko, inspired the colour palette using similar dynamic colours in his artworks that are able to communicate messages without explicitly saying them, in an attempt to create a universal language with colour.
