Julea Boswell
Charlottetown, PEI
I am a Canadian abstract artist and a modern quilt designer-maker. My art is colourful, joyful and full of movement.
MessageContact Artist: Julea Boswell
About
I grew up on beautiful Prince Edward Island and was immersed in art, dance, music and needlework from a young age — activities that set the stage for my varied creative interests and future path. I went to Ryerson Theatre School to study dance, but have always wanted to find my way back to being a visual artist.
My career began as a dance artist-educator, choreographer and studio owner. I designed and created costumes and continued to sketch, paint and attend art classes in my free time. At a certain juncture I left studio life behind and took another path for a while. I emerged with an MBA from uOttawa and became a marketer, manager and strategist for several non-profits. This led me to the City of Ottawa where I was part of the cultural services and urban design teams.
Meanwhile, my love of visual art continued to find expression through modern quilt design and creation. Eventually, I circled back to the dance world as manager of award-winning performing company, Propeller Dance.
I now find myself happily back in studio life, this time as a visual artist. My art is in private collections in Canada and Germany and has been exhibited in juried national and regional group shows, solo shows and at The Dunes Gallery in PEI. Art studies have included courses at UPEI (with Hilda Woolnough) and Nepean Visual Arts Centre (with Mirana Zuger), as well as workshops with professional artists Sandi Komst, Blair Paul and Robert Burridge to name a few. I live and work in both Ottawa, Ontario and Frenchfort, PEI.
Statement
In my art I try to capture and express moments of pure joy. These moments are my springboard for creation and the work takes shape with a blend of recalled imagery, thoughts and emotion. Like many artists, a primary source of inspiration is the amazing natural beauty that surrounds me, especially on PEI.
Moving freely within a mix of materials and forms allows me to present a wide variety of acrylic, mixed media and textile pieces. I always listen (and dance!) to music when creating which helps put a sense of movement and lightness into the overall look and feel of my work. I hope that viewers experience a sense of joy in my art and are drawn to its fresh, imaginative and contemporary style.