Julie Landsman

About My Art

For years I have been drawn to the angles, colors, curves and embedded steps, of cities. I love windows, those intersections between outside and inside, in the same way. When I walk each morning, often before full day light, I nurture my practice, learning the neighborhood and the river with my body, breath and heartbeat. I turned to drawing eight years ago, after writing for most of my life. I thought it would be an occasional occupation. Instead, visual art has grown as important as expressing myself with written words. I now paint still life and landscape, combining the view from my window with objects nearby. In the studio, as in my walks, I feel most at liberty to wander.

Lately, I have been taking a new turn. As I read the morning paper, now, faces of sorrow and grief capture my attention. The children, their families and even the soldiers who struggle in places in peril in the world now hold me. I draw them with ink and with pencil or with colored pencil, charcoal and watercolor. The curve and line of faces and figures now enter into, or are juxtaposed with, my still life and cityscapes. It feels like I am drawing them out of their need more than my own.  Attending to these women, men and children with my mind and heart is the deepest part of that random yet focused state art brings.

For now they are leading my hand and pen, my brush and pencils, wherever we need to go to create images, whether in a handmade accordion book or a pen and ink collection. The joy of it all is not to feel constrained by any demands, but to take the time. It is all about taking time.

Contact

Julie Landsman
Studio A, Homewood Studios
2400 Plymouth Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55411

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