Julia Colmenares

These large scale prints experiment with the process of mono-printing, combining the expressive gestural mark of the hand/rag to the harder edges of various tools.  The image is wiped reductively away from a steel plate covered in rolled ink. Fragments: flowers, clouds, and fireflies emerge from the unconscious, observation and imagined sources. The works take their inspiration from an 18^th century walled garden near the artist’s flat. Entry is forbidden. The inhabitants of this gated space multiply - weeds mostly, continue to thrive, while the soil lies dormant and greenhouses crumble. Nature takes over.

Existential, a wobbly reality is held in place by the more mundane aspects of life: working to live, walking the dog, London, transport to and from the studio, etc. Nature is the conduit between the inner and outer worlds of the human psyche.  The practice of print and painting opens a visual and sensory portal to respite.

Forbidden Garden, a series of monoprints and paintings produced during the last 10 months between 2018 and 2019, takes its original inspiration from an 18^th century walled garden near the artist’s flat. The inhabitants multiply - weeds mostly, continue to thrive, while the soil lies dormant and greenhouses crumble. It is surrounded by a park and the river Roding. Despite the denial of entry, the encompassing area beckons and enchants - the discarded refuse colouring the already brilliant hues of Spring: trees, vines and flowers that have emerged from grey skies and drizzle.

The work leads to an existential state that constantly teeters on the edge of reality, held in place by the more mundane aspects of existence: working to live, walking the dog, London, transport to and from the studio, etc. Thus, nature is the conduit between the inner and outer worlds of the human psyche.  The practice of painting opens a visual and sensory portal to respite. Here, the natural and supernatural are joined in a reality where magic occurs.

This work explores the gestural possibilities of drawing and painting. The mark potentially holding a barrage of emotions - a container for the dark ruminations of the self and inner universe. In her title piece, Forbidden Garden (130 cm x 106 cm) rapid, spidery strikes with the brush contrast thick multi-hued ribbons of acrylic and oil.

Limited Edition Giclee Prints

Giclée ("g-clay"), is derived from the French verb gicler meaning "to squirt or spray", Giclée, is used to describe a fine art digital printing process combining pigment based inks with high quality archival quality paper to achieve Giclée prints of superior archival quality, light fastness and stability.

The Giclée printing process involves squirting or spraying microscopic dots of pigment-based ink onto high quality art paper or canvas. The image is colour corrected to attain the closest possible match to the original work if required. The digital information is fine tuned to the type of paper or surface on which the image is to be printed, further ensuring fidelity to the original (definition: www.metro-print.co.uk, 2017).