The Whirlwind & the Lichen: An American Artist’s Experience 

 

The paintings in The Whirlwind & the Lichen exhibition display 2 points in the expressive trajectory of the artist, June Julian.  Although they were created several decades apart and differ widely in subject, both series of works embody dynamic compositions that reflect the deep personal experience of the artist at the time. 

Born on the East Coast of the United States, and growing up on its shores, the artist found herself in the arid American West in her adult years, full of immense yearning for the verdant trees and sparkling seas of home. With paint on canvas, the large scale Whirlwind paintings express her vertigo of discontent with their spinning compositions and high key color.

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The I Lichen NY series derives its title from the iconic I Love NY slogan, replacing its graphic red heart with an image of a green lichen. In these paintings of her current environment, the artist combines iconic New York City architecture with lichen specimens. With this incongruous juxtaposition, her purpose is to show her shock at the rampant insensitive overdevelopment of Manhattan, and its attendant degradation in air quality.  Lichen only grow in unpolluted places, and layering them over New York cityscapes visualizes the artist’s wish fulfillment for clean urban air. This is her statement, and in several paintings the lichen are arranged as a Statement Necklace, pop culture costume jewelry worn these days by women everywhere. This exhibition provides a glimpse into 2 points on an artist’s continuing journey, as she works through the discontents of place and finds joy in the process of painting. 

 

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