I have an artists book called 'Retired' in a show in the north.

Pages 10 and 1 from 'Retired'

PrintROOM at Bureau Gallery, Salford/Manchester, UK, now has a copy of my recent book 'Retired', on display until July 8.

Bureau Gallery

what a beautiful thing our eagerness is

Energy, excitement, exhuberance, enthusiasm, elation, eagerness.
Looking for words that describe how I feel about my work, about going into the studio: all the words I can think of today begin with an 'e'.
What a lovely odd thing.

Artist book in show in Manchester

My small book 'H on a Train' is in an exhibition in Manchester called "Sitting Room" that starts this week.
Here is part of their explanation on their web site at:

Manchester Craft and Design Centre

"From May 25th the Manchester Craft and Design Centre will host an
exciting and unusual exhibition dedicated to the art of sitting and
reading. The setting is a carefully re-created Sitting room complete
with comfortable armchairs, standard lamp, wallpaper, coffee table and
gramophone, inviting visitors to the centre to peruse the unique
display of artist’s books (that is to say, books that are made by
artists).
Within this familiar domestic scene, emphasis is placed upon the
engagement between the book and the reader. Visitors are encouraged to
choose an artist’s book from the bookcase, make themselves at home in
the sitting room and enjoy this rare opportunity to handle and interact
with the limited edition artists-made book works."

The latest news for Julie Caves, May 2006:

The Coffee Corner café, where Belgrade Road meets Wordsworth Road N16, will be filled with my paintings, including a series of six paintings called Autumn Landscapes, for the month of August. More about this and some pictures coming soon.

I have just finished a large painting called Going Out Of Business, questioning the current relevance of Darwin’s concept of survival of the fittest and entered it into a competition in Shrewsbury.

I have an artist’s book in an exhibit called Sitting Room at the Manchester Craft and Design Centre, that runs from 26 May to 15 July.

I recently had an artists’ book, Have A Nice Day, acquired by Manchester Metropolitan University Library.

Since last autumn I have been expanding my printmaking activity from the digital prints I have been doing for the last few years to include monotypes and mixed media work.

Liverpool Gallery View Two

As of 6 May 2006 I am being represented by View Two Gallery at 23 Mathew Street Liverpool L2 6RE. All the work at the gallery is really great. It is the largest private gallery in Liverpool, and has three floors. Two of my paintings will be on the first floor. Ken Martin, the owner, said that they were "fresh and crisp, different to anything else he has seen".
Like most of my other paintings they are very colourful. Here are images of the 2 paintings. They are 30x30 inches, acrylic on canvas.



Exterior Space No. 101



Interior Space No. 100

Picture of the Outside of the studios

Here is a picture of the exterior of the studios, from our invitation.

More Open Studio images

The 2 weekends went really well. I sold a few small paintings and lots of my artist book postcard sets titled "Have A Nice Day" and some prints of the big paintings. But the really valuable part was that I got loads of enthusiastic response and encouragement. I was working a bit in isolation and hadn't known what anyone thought of the work. I now feel reassured that I am going in the right direction.

More about the Open Studios

The first weekend was cold but the second weekend was rainy!

Open Studios at the Chocolate Factory

The Open Studios at the Chocolate Factory where I have my studio was 25-27 Nov. and 3-4 Dec. Here are some pictures from the Private View on Friday, and the two weekends.

Hackney Mile of Art Oct. 1, 2005

Here is a photo of my display at the Hackney Mile of Art this year. It attempted to be a full mile of fine art stalls extending north and south through Broadway Market, but it may not have quite made it. I think they published that it was on Oct. 2 so that may have been part of the problem! They are hoping it will be a new annual London art event.
I had 5 of my big 40x40 inch paintings, 2 50x50cm ones on easels and a lot of the little 12x16in ones.
It was quite cold and so we suffered a bit. I got a lot of positive feedback from the passersby, though. The kids especially loved the work. They wanted to tell their parents which one they liked the best and they all loved the bright colours. A few wanted to say what they thought the work meant and one little kid even said that it wasn't supposed to look like anything, it was art - you were just supposed to look at it and think about it! I loved that!
Thanks to H for freezing with me for the art!
Julie

Artist Statement

BFA in Sculpture and Printmaking at University of Austin, Texas.

MA in Bookarts at Camberwell College, University of the Arts London, UK.

I work with visual and written language. I am in love with metaphor, colour and texture. My paintings and artists' books are 3-dimensional so I still consider myself a sculptor. Making art allows me the freedom to be emotional and is my way of being in the world.

I enthusiastically question everything. I look at contemporary society and timeless emotions. I am interested. I feel both innocent and experienced. My work is sometimes emotional, sometimes conceptual and sometimes about colour and form, but it is always about what I think it means to be human, how I see the world.

This makes for a wide variety of work. The medium and materials are a necessary part of each piece. Some things must be painted and some things must be performed. If my work follows any kind of pattern, the pattern must include my belief that making art is a gift - the artist is giving a piece of him or herself to the world.