Statement
By Julie L. Irmer
I feel that art and faith are intertwined. Whatever a person believes, how they view themselves, and how they respond to the world will be reflected in their art. Over the years I have explored layering of symbols, patterns, shapes, and colors in my paintings. My personal symbols include stylized angels, birds, hands, stars, hearts, fish and screamers: universal shapes that anyone can recognize and to which one can attach their own meaning.
The layering of objects and paint both speak of the many choices of “this but not that” that I make artistically and personally on a daily basis. In both life and art some things get buried, others come to the surface when I least expect it, yet these are a part of who I am at this very moment. Some things I choose to examine, be conscious of; others come full circle from my childhood: images, memories, desires, unfulfilled hopes and expectations. One such figure from my childhood that is very familiar and comforting to me is the horse. Growing up in rural Spokane, I frequently used horses as the subject of my drawings. For me, the horse symbolizes nurturing, caring, freedom, gentleness and power all wrapped into one.
Quiet a few years ago I began working with collage elements, gluing down an assortment of found objects from puzzle pieces to zippers, chopsticks, crazy straws, roofing material, lace and CDs to the surface, then covering them with pumice gel, prior to painting with acrylic washes; I love the way the vibrant color pools around the texture. These works are very much about physicality, the textural quality, the layering of color, and the recycling of cast-off materials. Due to the complexity of the surface of these works, I’ve chosen to limit the number of painted images.
The past several years I have begun exploring another symbol: the feminine divine. Our society is unbalanced and needs the attributes of the feminine side of spirituality to be examined and resurrected. The compassion and nurturing that women bring to our lives leads me to the question: What would a world without weapons look like?
My hope is that my paintings catch your eye, draw you closer, and give you the desire to explore them for a longer period of time.
© Copyright Julie L Irmer 2018 HOME