In the vibrant oil painting on board, a stylized portrait of Frida Kahlo comes to life against a radiant yellow background. The artist's deliberate brushstrokes infuse the portrait with a distinctive blend of expressiveness and intricate details, capturing Frida's iconic features. Her resolute gaze is complemented by a crown of red flowers intricately woven into her hair, adding a touch of passion and vibrancy to the composition.
The yellow backdrop serves as a dynamic canvas, enhancing the intensity of Frida's presence. The artist's approach masterfully blends stylization with nuanced details, creating a visual narrative that pays homage to Frida Kahlo's enduring spirit. The painting invites viewers to engage with the essence of the iconic artist, where the expressive simplicity of the portrait and the symbolic red flowers become a captivating celebration of Frida's profound impact on art and culture.
Frida 2
10 x 15cm
Julie Tugwell
I was raised to appreciate the arts by attending ballet performances and dancing at PACT in Pretoria as a young child. Many afternoons were spent visiting art galleries with my mom and it was her dream for me to pursue being an artist like my father, the renowned landscape painter Chris Tugwell. It took some time for me to start painting, and only after the passing of my mom in my mid-twenties did I reach for a brush in an attempt to connect with her. I soon realized that I wanted to succeed at art and chose to dedicate my life to being a full time artist.
A chance meeting with accomplished fine artist James Mooney led to my apprenticeship in his studio for the next 16 years where I learned from his mastery of the skills and techniques of hyper-realism. Whilst James trained me in the discipline of fine art realism, it was Jill Mooney, Jame’s wife, who introduced me to the world of colour and liberated my brush to become deeply self expressive. This signature of their combined tutelage is evident in the abstractions, flowers and colourful figures prevalent in my current body of work.
My days are now mostly spent in the studio where I work as a full-time artist on both large expressive canvases of colour and also smaller pieces of hyper realism.
