Lara Julian, contemporary artist from Siberia – Exhibitor Oxford International Art Fair 2017

Lara Julian (1981) is a contemporary artist from Siberia, living and working London.

Currently working in large scale using acrylics, Lara’s personal vision transcends classical notions of genre and narrative, freeing the subject matter from its original context and positioning it within a new aesthetic reality. Working with a strong and vivid palette, she places an emphasis on both contemporary culture and the more personal feelings that characterise abstract expressionism. Her abstract expressionist drawings and paintings are filled with energy and vibrant colours.

Lara has continued her education in both New York and London. Her personal style has dramatically matured as she evolved her art practice at the New York Art Academy, and both the UCL Slade School of Fine Arts and the Royal Drawing School. She has earned two Masters Degrees, in Business and in International Relations, followed by a successful but unfulfilling career in banking. Lara has returned to her passion and she is currently exclusively devoted to her painting.

Her work has been exhibited in both New York and London, having participated in over nine group shows. Her first Solo exhibition will be held in December 2017 at Gallery 8, Duke Street, St James’s, London.

This is an interview with Lara Julian, exhibitor Oxford International Art Fair 2017.

What drives you…?

I have had a very different career trajectory to most artists. Leaving the finance world to become a full-time artist catalysed a rebirth and emancipated sense of self, whereby I could finally harness my creativity and live my truth as an artist.

I want the viewer to see this honesty in my paintings and feel the emotional energy in every brush stroke. This is what drives me: the potential to create art that resonates with viewers on an emotional level.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My art is born out of personal life experiences and an enduring connection to nature. By ‘nature’, I’m referring to both the poetic harmonies found in the natural landscape, which are a persistent source of inspiration in my art as well as the idea of human nature. In this way, the art movements that have had the most significant influence on my practice are Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism.

Can you tell us what you have going on right now…?

I’m currently working on a number of new paintings for my first solo show that will be held in December 2017 at Gallery 8, Duke Street, St James’s, London. The works in this exhibition are portals into my mind, poetically oscillating between figuration and abstraction. Some canvases offer glimpses of the body or natural forms, but they are all underscored by a gestural abstraction that compels the viewer to surrender to the mystery of the composition. In life we constantly search for absolute truth, but my paintings are deliberately elusive, inviting viewers to use their imagination and personal associations to find meaning in the work.

I know my artwork is finished when…?

This is a difficult question but I think as my confidence grows as an artist, I intuitively know when a work is complete.

What is your definition of art…?

Art is the ongoing investigation of what it means to be alive. I hope to express this by exploring the breath of human experience and the cycles of life in my work.

Best exhibition ever participated in…?

Oxford Art Fair 2017 🙂