I am a mixed media artist working in Southern California.
In 1999 I moved to Los Angeles, where I completed two important bodies of work: The Mask Series and Toyland. In both, I recorded the not so subtle differences in social norms between Northern and Southern California. Throughout the 2010's, I concentrated on transforming the two-dimensional surfaces of my photographs by puncturing, weaving, stitching, and embroidering into them. From experiments in portraying shadows on paper constructions and photographing detritus in plaster, to building digital images incorporating text and woven portraits, my artwork began to shift towards a more textural framework, e.g. A Paper Ballet and Home as Hat - Flora as Fashion.
In 2020, I put down my camera and began to work with three dimensional materials. My abstract wood reliefs have allowed me to explore shadow, depth, and light - not by capturing these elements on film, but to explore them in actual physical forms. Working in a new medium gave me the freedom to break free from two dimensional plane of photography. In 2024 I began constructing a silent symphony in paper pulp to accompany A Paper Ballet.
Along with the abstract wood reliefs, these three distinct but interconnected bodies of work will be exhibited in a solo show at Keystone Art Space June 18 - July 5, 2025. Be sure to join me at the opening on Saturday, June 21st!
Born from the stringed pieces in my silent symphony, I have begun constructing a vibrant and colorful new body of work, "String Relief", through abstract representation of sound waves - leading me to construct interactive pieces that will allow the viewer to actually play the art.
Exploring the cross-sensory connections between reverberation and form with a focus on chromesthesia, in which sound involuntarily evokes an experice of color, shape and movement, this next step in the evolution into three dimensional space will bring me closer to uniting intangible concepts with a tangible piece of art.
After being directly affected by the Eaton Fire, in the past 3 months I have gravitated towards creating colorful gouche collages. From a collection of Outer Inner Spaces constructed for backdrops to an upcoming play by Sandra Cruze on Women in Science, to vibrant collage studies of the vegetation in Morongo Valley, this body of work has brought me joy in the midst of chaos.
Julie Green
May 2025
Photo credit: Edith Ann Green