Julia Santos Solomon
Art and Life of JuliaInterior and exterior design for Maverick West a new medical facility
The last five months have been really exciting for my design company Julia Santos Solomon, Inc. I have been working as a colorist and designer for Maverick West, a rural clinic which is relocating to a large facility. It’s been great to be involved with the project from it’s inception, and to have an input on creating an overall look, and feeling of the practice. It’s that wonderful process of visualizing something in your mind, and bringing it to fruition…. of course within a budget and in a timely fashion. I’ve been lucky to work with some talented local professionals, architect Curry Rinzler, contractor Peter Kaufman, cabinet designer Louie Turchoie, and flooring specialists at Saugeties Carpet. The dedication to the project by the administrative staff at Maverick Family Health has been remarkable. Everyone has been hardworking and cooperative.
The exterior of the building was unremarkable, but I’ve spruced it up with colors that work with the location it’s set in, and that resonate with the community. The back of the building has a beautiful graffiti mural created by Onteora High School students. I’m very proud of the principals who have agreed to preserve the mural, and to make it accessible to the public in the warm weather months.
I’m now involved in the interior design. I want to create different environments within the interior. I want the waiting room to be a place that enhances healing before you ever see a doctor. The reception area to be refreshing, and a pleasant environment to work in. The nurse’s station which is very busy has soft neutral colors that allows them to do their busy work without visual pressures. The exam rooms are my favorite! I’m using ocean colors to immerse those inside with tranquility. The exam rooms glow when you are inside them. The glowing quality is enhanced by sun tubes which bring in massive amounts of natural light into the rooms ( a brilliant stroke by our architect Curry Rinzler ). I could spend all day in one of those rooms, they are very soothing… just the feeling I was looking for.
Rendering the floor tile designs has been the most obsessive work I’ve ever done. I used 11 colors, and created 11 motifs based on 3 x 3 squares. The public will be gently directed with diagonal motifs throughout the entire floor plan, to the check-in and check out areas, up ramps, and down hallways to the exam rooms. I’ve achieved this with color and pattern.
Here’s a photo of the floor rendering:
The entire color story comes from a stunning photo taken by amateur photographer Randall Rissman. Color is the most powerful tool in my arsenal of artistic tools. Color has been used as for healing for many years, and as a way to create environments that foster specific moods. I am fascinated by these qualities, and have spent a great deal of time studying the therapeutic and psychological aspects of color.
Everything is being installed right now. I can’t wait till it’s completed, and will post pictures!
Already 10? exhibit
Three paintings from my new body of work from New Zealand will be on view in this upcoming group show at the Pritzker Gallery in Highland, NY!
Already 10? 10th Anniversary with a Latin Zest
On view December 5 – March 1, 2011
Opening Reception: Sunday, December 5 from 3 to 5 pm
Pritzker Gallery
257 South Riverside Rd
Highland, NY 12528
9845.691.5506
www.pritzkerstudio.com
pritzkergallery.blogspot.com
Hokatika, 20"x20", acrylic on canvas and paper
Haast Pass, 20"x20", acrylic on canvas and paper
Glorious Glaciers, 36" x 60", acrylic on canvas and paper
Most Recent Work: New Zealand Landscapes
It seems so appropriate to have this exhibition of New Zealand landscapes
at Deep Listening, because the body of work
I am presenting here required, and demanded some listening to a rumbling sound, a
stirring deep inside of me. I went to New Zealand not as a tourist, but as a parent
scoping out the land for her daughter who would be living there…where would she live, work, run?
My practical, vigilant mind was at work, when suddenly it was
powerfully confronted by my subconscious, primitive mind.
Here was a place that looked like the beginning of the world…..
like it was just formed out of the depths of the sea.
The land of “ the long cloud “ is what the native Maori call it. The clouds stretched
in the sky coursing over me, fresh, unfamiliar formations filled my imagination.
I was color combinations I have never, ever seen. As an artist, I was immediately challenged.
I have travelled a great deal, but this was the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
Nature was raw and unencumbered by mankind.
New Zealanders take seriously the protective custody of their land.
You drive for hours without houses in the mountains, gas stations on the way,
no empty soda bottles in the streams.
The light was beautiful and unfamiliar. Looking over the pacific ocean on the windiest,
rainiest day where the sun was not allowed to peek through,
I saw something remarkable…. the ocean was light and illuminated.
The light source seemed to come from the bottom up, the water lighting up the sky.
After a while, the expansiveness and beauty of this landscape took over me.
I had to give in… I felt my foundation being broken and rearranged in a new order.
Witnessing this place was changing me in ways I could not measure or control.
The volcanic paintings depict the North Island, the water and glacier paintings depict the
South Island. The Western coast of the South Island has an extraordinary quality that
inspired the remainder of the paintings.
I saw elements in nature juxtaposed in a remarkable way.
Upon my return, I decided to make a single painting to “get it out of my system”,
then I painted a second to create a pair…they just kept coming and I’ve painted 15
pictures in a very short period of time.
This body of work has summoned all of my focus and drive.
The paintings keep coming.
I hope to share with the viewer the joy I felt in creating them.
Sculptures & Installations Catalog
My sculpture catalog is now online and available for purchase! Check it out. xoxo
A Really Busy Summer
Whoa! It’s been a very busy and exciting summer. I think I need some quiet time to absorb it all. I have loved the group show “Latin American Views” currently up at the Barrett Art Center. Though our work is quite diverse, we are all professional artists and the quality of the work ties beautifully together. We had a round table discussion at the “Muddy Cup Cafe” in Poughkeepsie, and it was so stimulating. The audience was a broad range of ages, interests and ethnicity. I loved it! Having taught at Parsons School of Design for so many years came in handy, because I am so comfortable addressing a large crowd. I gave an overall view of my trajectory as an artist in order to lead them to the newest work….to understand the process which is vital to me. The questions asked were very perceptive.
My current work celebrates four generations of Dominican women in my family. It includes hand painted full sized busts, and paintings depicting the environment they came from. In addition, I’ve begun to write about each one of these women’s character, in order to clue the viewer in on who they were. Overall it tells a story of our small but vibrant family and how we went from living in the Dominican Republic to immigrating to the US 30 years ago. People’s response has been strong, and that makes me happy. In telling my own truth, I’m creating something other people can resonate with.
The next two sculptures have been drawn, and I’ll begin the long process of molding them. Before a piece is made, it lives in my heart for over a year….demanding to be created…ans so begins my process.
Closing Reception for Latin American Views- August 16
Barrett is pleased to invite you to the
Closing Reception
for the
Latin American Views Exhibition
Refreshments, Music and Fun!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
4:00 – 6:00 pm
at the Barrett Art Center Galleries
55 Noxon Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
Contemporary Latin American Artists from the Hudson Valley Jose Acosta, Emil Alzamora, Alejandro Dron, Juan Garcia Nuñez, Jose Gomez, Virginia Lavado, Nestor Madalengoitia, Elisa Pritzker, Camilo Rojas and Julia Santos Solomon
For more information 845.471.2550 / info@barrettartcenter.org
Mohonk Hole No. 4 Golf print
I am proud to announce the completion of “Hole No. 4,” a project I created at the Mohonk Golf course. My good friend and advisor Jennifer Mosden and I enjoyed a successful launch of the finished project at my first “Meet the Artist” event at Mohonk Mountain House this April 2008. The piece has been received very well and I’m looking forward to future events planned for later this year. Prints are on view and for sale at the Monhonk Golf Shop.
Homage to Liam Nelson (1931-2007)- Group Show
Homage to Liam Nelson at the Pritzker Gallery
On March 15, 2008 I joined a wonderful group show at the Pritzker Gallery in Highland, NY.
The show was featured in the June issue of Art Business News.
