Andromeda, Study Painting

UK-based painter, Julie Cross, creates enigmatic figurative works that are impressionistic/expressionistic, characterised by rich textures and powerful gestures. Mostly working with semi-abstracted female forms, she seeks to highlight some of the essentials of human existence, such as the interconnections between humans and their environment, the mysteries of memory and the role of fate. "Gesture and silhouette are vital as I attempt to distil only the very essence of an idea or narrative," says Julie. "I am fascinated by people and their stories, and texture and light are often the visual (and physical) qualities that I most like to utilise in my complex, multi-layered work." Julie is influenced by the sense of mystery of the early figurative work of Nathan Oliveira and the Bay Area Figurative movement, as well as the visceral paint handling of Walter Sickert and the post-impressionists. Her paintings often have fascinating layered surfaces that can take months, even years to create, as she applies, abrades and even completely removes paint, so that time itself helps create the surface and suggests figures. This attempt to create and find meaning from the dense and sometimes fractured substrate is akin to the creation of memory, story and life itself.