ABOUT JULIE &
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Observation, drawing energy from my surroundings, continued discovery of 'self', the importance of drawing, mark making and visual story telling all combine in a tumble of thoughts & ideas to form the foundations of my work. I want to begin a visual dialogue with a sense of place and contemplation; wherever I may be; beach, land or woodland
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I find it difficult to separate myself from the vitality and importance of observational drawing and its ability to begin a story on the surface of a piece of paper with just a few marks
My sketchbooks are full of both visual and written notes that inform the continuation of the work; place becomes a thought, a thought becomes a mark, marks become a drawing developing a sense of renewal and continuation
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Whether I choose painting, collage, printmaking - or a mixture of the three, ‘drawing’ is what the work continues to be about; ‘drawing’ with a pencil or paintbrush or in collage ‘drawing’ with shapes of paper and colour.
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I intend my work to be multi-dimensional to the viewer, with the hope that the story continues in their eyes. What, from a distance may initially be seen as a representation of a landscape, woodland, tiny section of a beach or a group of pots on approach I ask the viewer to take in the detail of the many materials used; text from poetry, music manuscript, found and hand dyed or painted papers and fragments or found objects from the land. Each piece becoming not only a metaphor of the importance of observation but also a fragment of the land, emotion or thought, taking the viewer beyond the surface of the piece
The study of the minutiae of nature and the usually unobserved are also important to me; the structure of a seed head, the line and texture within a rock or pebble; looking deeper and deeper into the surface to discover the abstract.
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Words are a vital part of the work though they are often hidden deep into the piece asking the viewer to look for them & the hidden meaning of what can initially appear to be a very quiet work. Inside it is shouting ‘really look at me I have so many stories to tell.’
It is a given that artists draw on nature; how can we not? As humans we are nature, it is all around us, it feeds us physically, spiritually & emotionally. This then begs the question, why are we, as humans, increasingly taking it for granted, ignoring it's vitality, destroying it & the climate with the overuse of man made materials, fossil fuels & unsustainable living. Finding ways to express this are of growing importance to me as time moves on. I intend that my work becomes an extension to my voice. However quiet they both may be in this world of sensory pollution.
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Julie Reid
September 2023