Art Statement

Julie Leah is  a modern abstract expressionist whose art embodies a feeling and a mood of nature with suggestions of figures and of spatial landscapes. The earth’s tapestry is woven into the artist’s work as she draws inspiration from walks with nature and movement studies in yoga. There is a subtle rhythmic movement to her art.

The artist is known primarily for her hand painted textile art. She is known as artysilk....for her hand painted art scarves.  However...she began her wearable art career as a mixed media artist. One prophetic day she created a collage of both canvas, sand and cloth using clothing from her  own closet as inspiration. In the midst of painting old denim and cotton..she wondered what other clothes she could paint and on a whim took a silk painting class and so began a life long love of creating silk scarves.

Noteworthy Projects: Frida Kahlo Scarves

The artist began exploring Frida Khalo on silk as she read about Frida in several books, including Frida’s own diary. Leah wanted to explore the feeling of Frida and to create dream-like, surrealistic interpretation’s of Frida Kahlo. 

A Frida Kahlo scarf of Leah's was recently displayed in the City of Buena Park's Dream is Truth Art Show and received recognition by the 65th Legislature Assembly of the State of California.  Another Frida inspired scarf of her's was juried in Chemer's Heart of Orange County  Art Show in April of 2019.

Community Outreach

The artist also participates in community arts engagement projects, most recently, Wingversation in December 2017 and Treeversation as part of the Calliotree Project, March 2017 in Downtown Santa Ana. 

Influences:

It’s her liberal arts education from San Diego State University that first introduced her to art and  as both a living history and as a fiber of her being. It awakened a creative stirring that she’s explored in lmany disciplines including:  literature, journalism, marketing and startup business endeavors.