In the captivating oil painting titled "Weaver," a stylized depiction takes center stage, featuring a weaver grasping a dandelion stalk against a backdrop of a vivid blue sky. The artist employs a distinctive style where intricate details give way to more generalized brushstrokes, creating a dynamic interplay of form and color. The weaver, portrayed with expressive simplicity, captures a moment of connection with nature as it interacts with a dandelion stalk.
On the right-hand side, a tree branch emerges, also stylized with a balance of broad brushstrokes and subtle details. The overall composition exudes a sense of movement and vitality, inviting viewers to engage with the scene in an interpretive and emotionally evocative manner. "Weaver" becomes a visual narrative where the stylized elements harmonize with the representational, allowing observers to appreciate the essence of the weaver's interaction with the dandelion stalk amidst the expansive canvas of a vibrant blue sky.
Weaver
40 x 40cm
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.
