Julie Green, Patterns and Tones for a Paper Ballet at Keystone Art Space
- artandcakela
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
By Genie Davis Artist Julie Green is opening Patterns and Tones for a Paper Ballet at Keystone Gallery June 21st. The exhibition has been two years in the making and looks to be a stunning departure from her previous work. It features two resonantly paired but separate bodies of work.
Green says the inspiration for the 16 constructed photographs that comprise A Paper Ballet comes from Bauhaus Professor Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet. “However, my interpretation addresses issues of contracts both in the tension between a classically trained ballerina and a Martha Graham trained modern dancer, as well as their cast shadows which are not their own. This body of work was created in 2015 [and] has never been exhibited. I was waiting for the right context in which to present the work. In 2020, I began expanding this work to include a symphony and an audience.”
She explains that the abstract wood relief forms she employs in the exhibition marks a major departure from work she previously created in fine art photography. “I hit a wall with photography about 5 years ago. I was no longer satisfied with the two dimensionality of the medium and longed to work with my hands. With the wooden relief forms, I gave myself the freedom to begin my journey towards sculpture.” She adds that “The work is still addressing my fascination with shadows, form, and line but I am no longer tethered to a flat surface.”
Along with the photographic works, the exhibition includes a sculptural instillation titled Silent Symphony, constructed entirely of hand-made paper pulp, wood, and molds that recreate classical instruments, which vibrate with the idea of sound unheard in the moment of its making.
As to the entirety of the exhibition, Green describes it as “more of a theatrical presentation of dance without movement, music without sound, and an audience moving in the shadows without a physical presence.”
It also plays on the variety of mediums that she employs as an artist, working in paper, paint, photography, and wood. Asked which medium is her favorite, she says that would be paper, “due to its versatility. I crafted the costumes and backdrops for the sets out of paper, and paper pulp was used to craft the instruments. Paper is malleable, organic, fibrous. Its varied manifestations intrigue me. Paper allows me to let my creative ideas run free.”
Both sculpture and photographic works deal with light and shadow, in a tactile and mysteriously poignant way.
One of the most fascinating things about the upcoming exhibition is that the images are not, like much of her work, presented in vivid or primal colors. The shift to a more monochrome palette was new to Green.
According to the artist, “This palette was inspired primarily by Ben Nicholson’s white relief forms from the 1930’s. I was so drawn to this specific body of work, I began to construct my own white relief forms concentrating specifically on form and shadow.” She notes that this shift represented “a clean slate, a giant leap and departure from the work I had been creating for the past 30 years. I wanted to start from the beginning where I was concentrating solely on light and form.”
Another strong draw to this major palette change was creating the ability to find a new direction in her art, which Green says was “a rebellion against color. I wanted to get back to basics, to reduce my images down to their most basic elements – form, shape, shadow, and line.”
She has fully succeeded, creating beautifully visceral images regardless of hue. Green revealed that she had fallen in love with the process of mold making and paper casting along the way and says that “To be able to utilize paper in another format was incredibly rewarding. It perfectly tied into the other two bodies of work and rounded out the exhibition. Paper casting and mold making is yet another tool in my creative toolbox. I may utilize it again in the future if the work calls for it.”
Be sure to see the lustrous, lovely, and yes, monochromatic works when her exhibition opens June 21st at Keystone Studios, with opening reception from 5-9 p.m.
