JULIE HIMEL

A discovery in kindergarten of a heated drawing surface led me to my first artistic obsession and technical experimentation. Ooey gooey slightly transparent waxy pigments flowed into one another with such grace that I couldn't get enough.  I have since graduated from the crayon and went on to attain a Fine Art Diploma from Langara College in Vancouver, a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours Degree from York University, and a ten year history of exhibiting.   (Though rest assured, I still hold high the merits of the modest crayon.)  I completed a year long residency program at Toronto School of Art in 2008, and have now set up a studio space at home.  I am currently working on a new series of figurative work.

The Lineage series 2008 (from ‘Abrahm Himel’ through ‘Self’) was my foray into portraiture.  This body of work was created in my late father’s memory, exploring our family tree through paint.  Most of these images are created from photos found in his collection.  I have continued on with portraiture and attempt to shed light on the soul and psychology of the subject.   

 

 

the crossroads, oil on canvas, 30x36"

 

green, oil on canvas, 24x24"

 

autumn red mums, oil on canvas, 18x24"

 

the rainboots, oil on canvas, 18x24"

 

meditations on emptiness, oil on canvas, 28x22"

 

the sitting, oil on canvas, 24x30"

 

temptation, oil on canvas, 24x36"