RESURGENCE

Artist: Julia Veenstra

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

36" x 48"

Julia was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario and studied Illustration at Sheridan College. Most days you can find her in her studio, a converted garage, at her home on Beach Boulevard in Hamilton. Her medium of choice is acrylic as she enjoys the immediacy and the bright colours. 

Her journey as an artist, wife and parent has provided rich experiences. A highlight in her adventure was her time spent in Tanzania and Kenya where her “style” rapidly developed a different bent that she has been exploring ever since. While in Africa she successfully launched a solo show and was a feature artist in galleries and hotels in both countries. 

Her paintings are lively and colourful and are found in the homes of collectors around the world. Her work has taken a very “Canadian” turn, an advancement building upon her African leap. She is determined to drive towards her goal of self-improvement to become one of Canada’s important painters and to influence younger artists to grow and develop in their craft.   

Artist’s Statement  
There is a moment in time, that when remembered, gives comfort or reassurance. A smell can transport one back into a deep memory and stir up emotions of all kinds. I am attracted to those moments that create comfort, those scents that cause a rush of deep memories… as an artist I love to translate those special moments – moments that will transport me to an understanding of wholeness and peace. Whether it is how the light hits the trees and the shapes of the shadows stretching long on the fields or the manmade shapes of homes erected for a purpose of housing loved ones, my work reflects, consciously or not, a connection with one’s past or a time of security. I hope to reflect in my work moments that cause a stirring in a person’s heart.  Moments that were noticed and stored… I work with vibrant colour and expressive strokes, exploring shape and form as well as the constant desire to portray light. The works often develop their own life and the paint creates shapes and detail that I had not planned on but complete and round out the experience. The canvases I paint can be quite large and the result is the ability to experiment with a range of tools that create variety of texture and interest in the pieces and can pull from me an energy and joy. 

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