Julia Emiliani
Q & A
Where did you grow up? I was born in Florida, raised in Central CT and now have been living in the Boston area for almost 10 years!
In my work, I find inspiration in objects and places representing a personal and collective human experience. I’m drawn to things that hold history, connection, and love. I feel compelled to make art from them as a form of record-keeping — a diary entry. I love exploring these themes through acrylic paint and gouache finding a juxtaposition between graphic shapes and refined renderings.
I love being able to demystify creating art and make it less intimidating. My goal is to facilitate participants in finding their ability to create. It’s helping them find and express their own inner voice through understanding subject matter and material.
I hope to create a space where there’s no judgement or expectation, where people are free to learn and explore art-making at their own pace. Like it is for myself, I want the experience to be a practice of self care and self acceptance.
The arts serve both functional and emotive purposes that are vital to may areas of life. The arts serve as a practice that can relieve mental roadblocks like anxiety and promote self expression, making it important to self care and self acceptance. Practicing art is also practicing how to be brave, how to take risks, fail and try again. Being able to execute without judgement or expectation is as important in the creative world as it is in the business world, relationships and other areas of life. The arts, and illustration specifically, are important in business. Illustrations help demystify complex topics, providing a visual aid for viewers to digest. The emotive aspect to illustrations help viewers engage with a brand, providing an element of surprise and delight that hook an audience and support business goals. The importance of the arts is deeply woven into our inner and outer worlds, and it’s important to acknowledge that to move forward with a productive and connected way.
I see art in my surroundings – domestic objects at home are still lives; houses in neighborhoods are great landscapes. In terms of institutions, the galleries and museums throughout Boston are all great, with the Gardner Museum being one of my favorites.
Yes! I own work by a number of local artists including ceramics from Lara Diaz of “Cecilia East West” and comics and stickers from Liz Bolduc of “Liz Sux” Comics, among others. I also own prints by contemporary illustrators like Evan M. Cohen, Leah Reena Goren, and Tara Booth, to name a few.
SEE MORE FROM JULIA!
Website: www.juliaemiliani.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliaemiliani/