Julie Shipp
paintings
Chromos 1.3
oil on canvas
48" x 60"
Klara 4 (before)
oil on canvas
36" x 39"
AAC
oil on canvas
36" x 36"
Artist Statement, 2007
My abstract paintings are a result of thin applications of paint to build up an atmosphere of color. Offering no definite narrative or system of symbols, the paintings initiate a spiritual dialog with the viewer.
Similar to the 19 th century landscape paintings that are influenced by the sublime forces of nature, my paintings become transcendental statements. Differing greatly from the 19 th century painters, however, is the fact that I exclude the actual trappings of identifiable landscape and nature. In other words, rather than depicting a scenic land or sky formation, I try to think of the small glimpses of beauty that are fleeting, just before they are about to fizzle away to become memory to those who witness the moment. Color, to me, is the most purified and distilled form of beauty, and when removed from the element of a human figure, or identifiable setting, there exists a non-physical harmony with time and universality.
Making no visual reference to myself, the paintings are also a statement about my own understanding of mortality that I wish to impart to the viewer. I try to envelope the viewer in pure color, and after looking into the painting, the observer can find subtle atmospheric changes as well as lighting effects that are internalized within the painting. Also, variations of the color gradually fading into one another making it nearly impossible to see any abrupt edges or color shifts. It is necessary to spend a lot of time looking into the paintings; they tend to have a meditative quality about them.
In a sense, I want the viewer to be able to look into an idea of unification, spiritualization, and timelessness. I wish the viewer to understand that we are all connected by the fact that although we occupy specific times and designated spaces, we are all living in a transient, or temporal state of existence.
Julie Shipp
