Julia Stewart

'Drawn'

charcoal on paper

2012-13

Artist's Statement

Amy has spent all of her long life

farming around Lismore environs.

She has many family links

with people in this Region.

Good times and hard times

are etched into her face.

Though still a matriarch,

things rapidly changed for her in 2012.

This portrait was my way to digest the impact

of her changed situation on our family

and also capture her steely approach to life,

particularly in adverse times

like a true woman of the land.

Whilst drawn and weathered,

she remains focused and feisty.

 - Julia Stewart, June 2013

from the Northern Rivers Portrait Prize 2013

Salon des Refuses - June 2013

From the 21st May to 4th June 2013,

Julia Stewart exhibited in

The Stoneylee - a collective fusion

by the stoneylee art collective.

The opening celebration took place

on Friday 24th May from 7pm.

Artist's Statement - Julia Stewart, May 2013

For this exhibition I chose to present the nuances

of a repetitive form. In this context the common teacup

lends itself well. My focus is to capture the elegance

 - the curve of the cup, and the simplicity

 – the minimal use of colour. Subtleties of form are

disclosed when displayed on mass. Another intention is to

celebrate the inherent beauty of this relatively small

yet frequently used domestic object.

To counterbalance the teacup display I have created

an installation based on a large abstract winged form.

I wanted to be playful and this time not be bound

by any traditional object or form.

All the work is slip cast and gas fired.

'Kanangra Sunrise'

acrylic on canvas works

from Presence

December 2012

'After Picasso'

Fragile - Works by Julia Stewart

I’ve had fun playing with the concept of fragile in my ceramic practice. It is a word with many meanings:

easily broken, delicate, brittle, frail, vulnerable,

lacking substance or force, flimsy..

Fragile also describes the processes and outcomes achieved with my use of cellulose fibre to create moulded porcelain pots. I liken the practice to my experiences

as a mother and latterly a nurse. Where, in an ideal situation, I notice a fragile situation and offer focused

and timely support which hopefully results in

the conservation of personal agency.

In ceramics, I supported each flexible mould until

the liquid clay was sufficiently solid to stand alone …

but not become rigid. The still soft clay had the

capacity to move and take on a unique form.

This process of creating a strong pot from

something initially so fragile epitomises life.

The strawberry figs on the other hand are moulded from plaster which results in a delicate form that allows the porcelain to pick up on the detail of the fruit. Often I found the liquid clay did not cover all surfaces equally.

It reminded me of fruit eaten by bats.

At this same time, bats were making news headlines.

They are struggling to cope with changing habitat. Scientists now believe that as a result of their food chain being degraded, bats are carrying a heavy and varied viral disease load that can be lethal to humans. Though very fragile creatures, bat colonies can also cause major degradation to native forests. Because of these issues community opinion is divided about the value of bats. Therefore, bats themselves are vulnerable creatures

and it is not uncommon sight to see bats

hanging from power lines alongside roads,

or caught in nets protecting fruit trees.

It was the vulnerability of bats and their visual fragility

which I linked to the moulded fruits I was making

– both consistent with my concept of fragile.

I continue to explore the concept fragile as

I display the works for exhibition.