Julie Shapiro

Billow, oil on canvas, 24” x 24”
I just came across a review of Julie Shapiro's show at The Painting Center, NYC. I've always loved her work but I'm head over heels crazy about Billow. The colors are gorgeous and I love the imperfection of the grid-like structure as it shifts and slides down the canvas. I need to break out my oil paints -- it's been far too long.

Chicago

Film photos of Chicago from 2003, I believe. I recently stubbled across them as I was sorting through old files and I was struck by all the beautiful lines, shapes, shadows, and reflections. It's funny how I took these years before my architectural line obsession started to take over my life but I think it's always been lurking just under the surface.

Current Obsession

Currently obsessed with colored pencil drawings of triangles. I started these drawings in my sketchbook a month or two ago and can't stop making them. There's something about the interlocking shapes and vibrant colors that's so pleasing to me.

Pastel Points

While browsing on Forever21, I stumbled across this t-shirt drawing and immediately fell in love with the layers of soft pastel points nestled together. The juxtaposition of the gold brings a contrast and shine that makes me melt. I want to create a bunch of tiny drawings of pastel triangles with a hint of shimmering metallics.

Shades of Gray

The sketchbook is completed & mailed! It feels so good to have it done but at the same time it's a little bittersweet. I will definitely miss working on it, but I'm thankful for all the new ideas I've generated while working on it. It gave me the opportunity to play and have fun. I'm excited to bring some of these ideas to life and keep experimenting.

While working on some of my final pages, I obsessively started using grays. I've fallen in love with the color - how it can be both soft and hard and all its subtle but beautiful changes in tone.

Colored Pencils

As I frantically work to finish this sketchbook, I seem to be spending more and more time on each page. I've started doing these drawings with slices and triangles of color, using colored pencils to create vibrant, deep hues. My whole life I've always been someone who presses as hard as she can while drawing and I have yet to grow out of that. There's just something so satisfying about scribbling as hard as I can and watching colors spring from my fingertips like magic. It's funny how making these drawings brings me back to being a little girl filled with great ideas and big dreams.

It's a new year!

Happy new year! I'm hoping that it will be a year filled with colors and paints, creativity, productivity, and lots of messes.

The past few days have been spent working like crazy on my sketchbook, trying to make up for lost time. I'm finally almost halfway through but it's going to be a push to get it done by the 15th! Although to be honest, I'm a huge procrastinator and deadlines drive me to work even harder so it's really a good thing.