CARTER CITY Artist Julie Rhea Lewis enjoys the independence of creativity in her home studio. She also enjoys sharing that flexibility with college students in her Curly Hen Studio on her assets.
The 52-year-old artist experiments in a assortment of media — from portray, drawing, acrylics, mixed media and monoprinting — but she has a specific adore for artwork journaling.
“When you think of artwork that you place on a wall — other people see it — which indicates it is up for judgment,” she said. “I consider people today ‘get’ art in distinctive methods. They see it and it invokes a experience. Some persons glimpse at art and they search to see if it seems practical and they choose it versus a skill to replicate properly. Artwork journaling is in a guide that does not have to be proven to the planet except if you want to, so it is all yummy artwork just for your personal eyes and soul. I often assume the youngsters master the most from doing the job in their journals.”
That is not to say you can’t share your journal. Lewis said journals assist youngsters continue to keep observe of their creations.
She said by middle faculty, little ones respond nicely to prompts — recommendations of what to function on, this kind of as make an merchandise which is blue or circular.
“As an adult, prompts nevertheless operate, and it is a put to perform out strategies and make messes and faults that sometimes switch into pretty parts of do the job,” she explained. “Maybe you didn’t know you would like to use peach and green till you wiped your brush off in your journal and observed the two facet by facet. I assume grown ups study the most about them selves when operating in their journals.”
Lewis does not consider herself a trainer of artwork as a lot as a participant.
“Before COVID, I delivered just one-hour lessons to kids and teens 5 instances a 7 days just after my full-time task. Some of our courses target on artists, often approaches, in some cases I allow them get the job done in journals which appears like absolutely free art time to them. Every couple of months I did a canvas party which permitted them to comply with alongside in the move-by-stage approach,” she reported, adding she hopes to return to lessons before long.
The lessons for children are important, she stated.
“My classes are also nonjudgmental. I am not developing the most effective artists. Each individual artist will have to do that by working towards their expertise. I just try out to support them specific by themselves and toss some artwork fundamentals in at the exact same time,” Lewis mentioned. “Some of these youngsters are far better proficient artists than me. I just furnished a place to engage in with cool art materials.”
Lewis enjoys a variety of media, including journaling. She has deep roots in art.
“My paternal grandmother was a fine artist. My maternal grandmother was a seamstress developing and producing garments. I have a person son who does pictures, one particular who does costume get the job done for qualified ballets, a daughter who does electronic artwork, a stepson who does woodwork, and my partner can make everything from buildings to cars and trucks,” she explained. “I just try to ‘keep up.’”
As an only kid, Lewis invested a whole lot of time drawing and portray.
“I adore it when I see pals who tell me they try to remember coming to our condominium and seeing my partitions crammed with artwork I experienced designed,” she explained.
Her artwork took a back again seat to existence soon after significant college, when she commenced a family whilst she did some sewing, she stated she did not have time to paint.
Later on, while performing for Grayson RECC, she gained a degree from The Art Institute in graphic structure. Functioning in blended media rekindled her desire.
“I loved every single assignment from artwork historical past to colour idea. I just essential more of it in my existence,” she reported.
It worked.
“I started out publishing issues I experienced painted online and experienced a local mom request me if I would paint with her younger daughter,” Lewis explained. Her portray get-togethers grew by term of mouth right up until her spouse renovated a location for the artwork-based mostly get-togethers, now known as Curly Hen Studio.
“I needed to have a team of people to chat with about the straightforward joys of color and artwork generating,” Lewis claimed. “So I prayed for a though for God to give me some good friends that I could share with. And He did — and they were about 6 a long time outdated.”
Lewis sells first, prints and greeting playing cards at her husband’s store, J.F. Lewis & Co. Home furniture Retail store, and at Horton Bros. and Brown Compounding Pharmacy in Grayson. She also requires commissions and shows and sells her artwork at the Grayson Gallery and Artwork Center. She also has intended posters for the gallery. She claimed she hopes to do a journal class for adults.
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For more facts, take a look at the Curly Chicken Studio Facebook. Watch Julie Rhea Lewis’ perform at julieart.studio.