BIOGRAPHY
A brief introduction
Recent works – 2003 to the present
I am a realist artist with an obsessive interest in contemporary Japan. I first travelled to Japan in 2003 where, quite by chance, I came across my first sighting of a maiko (apprentice geisha). That glance – followed by clumsy fumbling for camera and two swift photos (which became drawings) was the beginning of a passion which hasn’t left me yet. Since 2003 I have made nine trips to Japan and I am thinking that I have enough curiosity and fascination for the place to last me the rest of my life. I plan to keep going over… The focus of my interest is the world of geisha. (Actually the Kyoto word for geisha is geiko). The journey, which ends with a drawing, begins with me hanging out on Kyoto streets in the various hanamachi (geisha districts – or ‘flower towns’) camera ready, waiting for geisha and maiko to pass by. (It is important to be polite and unobtrusive as rude tourists with cameras are a curse of these women’s lives!) I also attend dances when possible to witness the beauty of Nihon buyo (Japanese dance). I walk the streets looking for interesting juxtapositions and stand on corners. It requires great patience and endurance! I try to show in my drawings the contrast between the exquisite costume and demeanour of the maiko or geisha and the often bland or even brutal urban environment she inhabits. Inside the tea houses all may be tatami, paper and wood but outside it is concrete and glass. I hope the tradition of the flower and willow world will continue however less and less women choose this life. I may be capturing and drawing members of a unique society with a limited future.
Older works – 1989 to 2003 Landscapes were my main subject prior to my Japanese period. I painted and drew landscapes mostly from New Zealand (where I was born) and the area where I live, the port town of Fremantle, Western Australia. I have chosen my favourite landscapes from the past 20 years for this web site. ‘Street Theatre’ was for an exhibition at Fremantle Arts Centre in 2004 looking at urban life/street art around Perth and Sydney. ‘Agricultural Show’ was a series of drawings from various country shows exhibited at Yallingup Galleries, Yallingup, Western Australia in 2002.
Coloured Pencils For years I painted in oils however in 1994 after the birth of my third daughter, Lucy, I had the idea to try coloured pencils. This was because they could be easily picked up and put down. It made them a useful medium which allowed for the erratic demands of a new baby. I discovered that I loved to work in coloured pencils. I enjoyed the process of using them more than painting in oils. So after several years of working with both pencils and oils, in 2002 I gave up oils completely. I am exclusively a coloured pencil artist now. My photographs are my source material. I gradually build up layers of colour on the paper. One thing I like about pencils is that colour is mixed directly on the paper. A work typically takes about three weeks to complete. One can achieve a real luminosity with pencils. They suit my subject matter which often involves highly detailed areas. They are wonderful for rendering the qualities of light – from the cool buzz of neon to the warm glow of red Japanese lanterns. My pencils are Schwan Stabilo Softcolor (discontinued but I have plenty) and Faber Castell Polychromos. No water is used in the process. If you have comments or questions on subjects, techniques or enquiries about purchase please drop me a line. I would love to hear from you.
Julie Podstolski |