Julie Harris Exhibit
Julie Harris:
The Friends of the New Providence Memorial Library are excited to present the works of Julie Harris in the Conti Family Community Room and the front reading area. Her most recent works focus on clothing as art objects, some even formed from handmade paper, creating an interplay of juxtaposed images and objects that are printed or sewn into the clothing.
Julie Harris is an accomplished artist with an impressive resume, who is presently head of Printmaking at Kean University. She earned an M. F. A. in Printmaking, Summa Cum Laude, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, after her B. F. A. in Drawing, Magna Cum Laude, from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She has been in over two hundred regional, national and international shows, including a solo exhibition at BSB Gallery in Trenton, New Jersey and notable traveling shows, such as “A Complex Weave: Women and Identity in Contemporary Art,” and “Underneath it All,” in Washington D.C. and in Soho New York City.
Handmade Paper Clothing
The handmade paper gown series addresses the innocence and purity of a child’s spirit. Handmade paper is typically used to imply a skin-like reference which symbolically suggests the dichotomy of vulnerability and resilience. Translucent and diaphanous handmade paper has random texture and thickness, making these gowns very delicate. The small size of these articles of clothing suggest the delicateness of children, tender and fragile.
Julie enjoys working with clothing articles and natural forms, especially materials that are old, used and worn, such as abandoned old photographs and clothing from days gone by. She is interested in the stories that materials hold and who has touched them before. She also loves the fragility of the materials and how they must be handled with care, like fragments of memories that get lost.
Clothing Mixed Media Series
Mixed Media Printmaking
Julie Harris creates visual narratives through the juxtaposition of found objects and printed imagery. Her works remind one that, as one travels through life, objects are collected along the way to represent places, humor, feelings and experiences. Objects are often embedded into the paper prior to printing as a way to add another layer of meaning to the finished work. The materials used, handmade paper, cloth, and natural objects, are loaded with their own symbolic meaning.
Julie’s body of work has focused upon the integration of silkscreen, collage, photo-intaglio, and handmade paper. Julie creates visual metaphors with the materials, and uses the interweaving of imagery to create visual poetry.
Julie's work is largely autobiographical. She draws from personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, and humor, to make something tangible, such as an artist book, print, or sculptural object. She places form against form, object against object, each interacting with the other to create a visual metaphor based on her own experiences.
Check out Julie's webpage: https://jharrisb010.myportfolio.com/
