Julea Boswell
"I see the lyrical movement, beauty and energy in nature as a dance that I put into paint. I would love to connect with you about my art!"
MessageAbout
Julea Boswell's multi-faceted career began as a dance artist, educator and choreographer, which took her from the east coast where she ran her own studio to later working at the School of the Alberta Ballet Company. Following that, Julea moved into marketing and management roles where she led award-winning public engagement initiatives with the City of Ottawa and worked with numerous arts, cultural and community organizations along the way. Eventually, Julea leapt back into the dance world as general manager with Propeller Dance Company.
Throughout her career, Julea has kept creating and now dedicates her time to her visual art. While working in dance she sketched and painted, then became an accomplished textile artist with her work juried into national exhibitions. She returned to painting in 2016. Currently, she is leading a multidisciplinary collaboration with Propeller Dance in Ottawa and Atlantic String Machine in PEI, to create abstract interpretations of diverse-ability dance and original music compositions. This innovative project is supported by the City of Ottawa.
Julea's work has been in solo and group shows and is also held in public and private collections in several countries. Her work is available at The Dunes Gallery and Bistro Le Chat Bleu. She holds a Dipl. in Theatre (Dance) from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), an MBA from the University of Ottawa, and recently fulfilled a long-time ambition to obtain her BFA in Visual Art (with Distinction), at Thompson Rivers University in BC.
Julea divides her time between studios in Ottawa, Ontario, and Frenchfort, PEI.
Statement
I create fresh and contemporary acrylic paintings that range from colourful, stylized expressions of nature to beautifully lyrical, purely abstract compositions. My inspiration is tied to the amazing natural beauty of Prince Edward Island where I grew up, and where my involvement in visual art, dance, music and theatre from a young age played a central role in my sense of self. My Island roots and dance background spark joyful emotional and kinetic memories that reveal recurring themes of nature, movement and sense of place in my art.
As a dancer-turned-visual artist I see the movement and energy in nature as a dance that I put into paint. I rely on music for impetus as I work. I’m also very tactile and find that my work as a textile-artist often informs my approach to painting. I use modelling paste and palette knives to manipulate surface texture and lots of different kinds of rags (linen, cotton, terry, muslin, paper) to blend, saturate and erase colour. I love to use fluorescent and metallic pigments to highlight, punctuate and add joy to my work. Each piece is an imaginative process of discovery — only after it's complete does the title declare itself.
Viewer comments:
"Wow! Such colour and freedom. I love your expression of movement." - solo show visitor
”The paint dances across the canvas.” - exhibitor's comment
"I’ve seen ten thousand waves on canvas in my lifetime and none are as evocative as this. Exquisite." - Facebook comment
“A breath of fresh air! Breezy. It has such a lightness and positivity that make it pretty irresistible." - Instagram follower
“There is so much sun and cheer and positive energy in what you do; love it!” - website visitor
"Your joyful work is exactly what the world needs!" - Artwork Archive blog author
Follow Julea on Instagram @julea.b.artist and Facebook @JuleaBoswellArt
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