Artist Statement:
Prior to my artistic career, I spent over a decade working in Toronto's garment industry. Now in the field of ceramics, I continue to be inspired by the language of ornament, tactile media and the human figure.
Focused on the body, not necessarily it's literal representation, I attempt to animate and anthropomorphize clay, often dressing up bulging, blob-like forms in a pastel palette of fancy frills and floral patterns. Undulating surfaces, much like rolls of fat, morph and fold onto protuberances or pipe-like openings, limbs and sometimes hands emerging from the forms. These clay figures are not the delicate and modest porcelain figurines in my mother's china cabinet. However they seem tough and bloated, awkward and overdressed, struggling with expectations of beauty, femininity and 'otherness.'
The process of making and the experience of seeing motivate my artistic practice. Working in the studio is an attempt to filter and digest the experiences of life, which helps me in my efforts to make sense of the world. However, the result of my efforts never reveal any clear definitions but always bring about a series of questions, and much like the forms themselves, their meaning/purpose seem amorphous and ever-changing.
Bio
Julie received her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2010. She has exhibited extensively in Toronto since graduating from the Material Art and Design Program at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2005. She has participated in numerous residencies and exhibitions within Canada and the United States. Recent exhibition venues include The Seattle Design Center, Pulse Art Fair with Narwhal Art Projects in Miami, the Katzman Kamen Gallery in Toronto, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, and the Schein-Joseph Ceramic Art Museum in Alfred, New York. Recent residencies include The Anderson Ranch, Center for Ceramics in Berlin, and AIR Vallauris, France. Julie is currently an instructor for both the School and the Claymobile at The Clay Studio.
