The Art of Julie Abowitt
Profile

• Julie Abowitt was born and raised in New York City.
  
  
• She attended the High School of Music and Art, Queens College, the Art Students League.
  
  
• Five years ago, she attended Cabrillo College for Desktop Publishing and Multimedia while living in Santa Cruz, California.
  
  
• Julie has worked as an art coordinator for the Seattle School District; an art gallery director; an art and drama teacher; an activity director in assisted living and a rest home; an artist in residence for Washington state; an artist in residence and festival coordinator for the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County; has written standardized tests in fine art and health/PE.
  (A complete résumé is available on request at résumé@artfullyconnected.com.)

My art includes realistic, abstract, and non-representational images. Even my realistic images (the digital prints especially), have an abstract sensibility. It actually was not a conscious decision to head in this direction, it’s more simply how I see the world. My interest is in the basic elements of visual art, including design, pattern, color, and line, as they occur outside as well as within representation.

Last summer, a woman ran up to me when she saw my images on exhibit, and said “I don’t usually like realistic art, but these are so abstract!” She verbalized what I was doing unconsciously — and correctly defined my aesthetic proclivities.

My art is an homage to all that’s bountiful. Another anecdote: Years ago someone came up to me at a group show where I had several paintings displayed. She said she understood much of the other art in the show: It all spoke to her about the pain and difficulty of the human condition. But she couldn’t “get” my art. I asked her what emotion she would use to describe my paintings. She said “joy.” It perplexed her that I chose to paint images that were about brightness, abundance, plenty, and fullness. She was convinced that art had to illustrate all that was problematic about existence. I deal with the angst in other ways; I let my art reflect a side of life that is as powerful in its lightness as is art that portrays the darkness. One does not have less value than the other; they picture the yin and yang of what is around and in us.