TEXTILES
I design, draft and hand weave innovative, contemporary textiles on a 10 harness floor loom. Each piece is one of a kind, woven with colorful sustainable fibers including cashmere, merino wool and alpaca. Lightweight textiles for spring and summer are designed with cotton, bamboo, linen and silk. Each textile piece is reversible with subtle design details and patterns. A sculptural quality with multiple layers and unique textures is achieved by incorporating inventive weave structures, such as deflected double weave.I have been hand weaving for over 30 years and love color combining fibers to produce luxurious woven accessories that pursue elegance, creativity and classic craftsmanship.
PAINTINGS
Equally colorful and layered as my textile work, my mixed media paintings harness details inspired by nature. Incorporating gestural lines and repeated patterns, these layered works capture and explore the balance of organic imagery with geometric, grid like shapes and forms. Multiple layers of paint add to the surface texture of the canvases. I am intrigued with the negative spaces that emerge as a painting develops and the spacial transparency that is created. I am fond of abstract imagery, which are depicted in these visual narratives. Incorporating concepts of scale, space, rhythm and movement lend to the perspective of each piece. There is a reliance on repeated patterns, gestural lines, and grids. Patterns that exist in nature, intertwine with personal stories to inspire the compositions. I began fiber infusing certain paintings by hand-sewing nylon thread directly into the canvases. This subtle pattern of fiber adds texture and fine detail.
Born in California, the love of the warmth of the sunshine, and spending time at the beach enhanced my appreciation of the outdoors and its continuous inspiration. Colored pencils, markers and paper were important tools as a child, sketching and coloring in squares of grid paper making patterns and designs. Observing small details of textures and shapes sparked my interest in drawing which led to exploring different art mediums, including ceramics, printmaking and sculpture through art and design classes in high school. Pursuing my artistic interests, I earned my degree in Textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design.
I am a lifelong swimmer and the love of water is a source of inspiration, along with botanical details, succulents, colors from nature and all things patterned, including vintage handkerchiefs, quilts, woven tapestries and rugs. I have lived on the West Coast for most of my life and currently reside in Olympia Washington.
The logo of the "jac" was drawn in my baby book by my mother, a clever way of representing my initials....Julie Ann Clendenen.... I have a large collection of metal and ceramic JACKS which was a favored childhood game, originating hundreds of years ago in Ancient Rome.
Contact her for wholesale inquiries and custom orders at julie@juliesimpson.com
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