ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been a figure painter, primarily. My artistic quest has been to develop painted worlds for my figures to inhabit. Below are statements that I have written at different points in my journey that explain some of my thoughts regarding my work.

I wrote the following statement for my 2021 solo show at Addington Gallery in Chicago, titled “Backyard View”:

The backyard is a private, informal space. It is a place in my mind of memories of my own childhood, the growing up years of my children, and a current place of relaxation and retreat. During this past year of the pandemic, I spent a lot of time at home, as we all did. I also walked daily in my suburban neighborhood and in nearby nature preserves. The work in this series became a reflection on my experiences of my suburban surroundings where nature goes on around us whether we notice it or not and where nature is somewhat domesticated. Wild birds and squirrels come to our yards for free meals. Dogs are family members. Deer brazenly eat our shrubbery. When I look out at nature I almost always see some sign of human life, right angles amid the organic forms.

These paintings are whimsical poems. They are ambiguous and lighthearted. They grow out of my previous work that was concerned with life and movement. They demonstrate my growing interest in formal elements of design and color, exploration of my materials, and my search for emotional expression.

My current show is titled “Backyard and Beyond” and builds on some of those thoughts. I wrote the following statement for this show in January, 2024:

Metaphorically, my backyard is a place of memory and imagination. Beyond my backyard, is the rest of the world. The same sunlight falls in my backyard as it does everywhere else.  Nature goes on around us whether we notice it or not.  

People, animals, and trees inhabit the ambiguous spaces of these paintings. I combine disparate elements in an effort to spark something that suits me intuitively and has an emotional impact. The imagery comes from my own experience. Patterns are ubiquitous within nature, as are unique organic forms. I bring that awareness to my process of integrating representational figures in abstract surroundings

I wrote the following statement about my work in August 2015 for a group show at Azart Gallery in NYC, as well as for a 2016 solo show at Addington Gallery in Chicago that was titled “En Route”:
 
In 2006, I began working with the theme of figures in motion. Over time, my interest has evolved, shifting toward the interaction of moving figures with their environment.   Many of my paintings have a beach setting because it is an environment that is filled with motion. The wind blows the clouds across the sky. People play in the surf as the ocean surges in and out with the tides. The beach is a vast expanse and the air is often misty and atmospheric, giving a palpable sense that the space is not empty, but swirling with particles and reflections of light. In recent paintings I have pushed the same theme toward a more abstracted space, still derived from nature, with elements of earth, air, and water, but not specifically designated as beach. The figures have become proportionately smaller within the painted space.   The metaphorical intention within my work has evolved in this recent, more abstracted work, as well. The world in which my figures dwell is beyond their control and comprehension.   The figures walk into the unknown while making as much order of the chaos as they can. In a similar way, we humans live in a universe that is unfathomable.   We busy ourselves with the details of living within our own systems of order, sometimes aware of the mysteries of life, but often too wrapped up in our own constructions to see beyond.
 
Thanks for taking a look at my work!
 
- Julia Katz