Julie Podstolski
Painter / Illustrator, Realist (East Fremantle, WA)

I am New Zealand born (1959) and moved to Australia in 1982.

I have always been a realist artist, some would call me a photorealist. I painted mostly landscapes for years in oils however in 1994 I shifted to coloured pencils after the birth of my third daughter. She would wake or cry after I'd just mixed up my paints which forced me to think about a medium which could be picked up and put down easily. I tried coloured pencils. Though that particular baby (who cried) is now 15 years old I couldn't put the pencils back. I have loved using them ever since and have dropped oils completely.

I am a realist artist with an obsessive interest in contemporary Japan. Since 2003 I have made 9 trips to Japan. I believe I have enough passion and curiosity for the country to last me the rest of my life.

The focus of my interest is the world of geisha (the Kyoto word is 'geiko'). The journey, which ends with a drawing, begins with me hanging out on Kyoto streets in the various hanamachi (geisha districts or 'flower towns') camera-ready, waiting for geiko and maiko to pass by. (It is important to be a polite photograhper as rude tourists with cameras are a curse of these women's lives!) I also attend dances when possible to witness the beauty of Nihon buyo (Japanese dance).  I walk the streets looking for interesting juxtapositions and stand on corners. It is exhausting!

I try to show in my drawings the contrast between the exquisite costume and demeanour of the maiko or geiko and the often bland or even brutal urban environment she inhabits. Inside the tea houses all may be tatami, paper and wood but outside it is often concrete and glass.

I use coloured pencils to achieve luminosity and a sense of drama. I want my drawings to sing. This is made possible by knowing colour relationships and how to mix colours. I am constantly thinking about complementary colours and what the dominant complementaries are in each drawing.

For information on how to purchase or commission my work, please contact me below. Gallery enquiries welcome.

Contact Julie Podstolski
Visit Julie Podstolski's website

Qualifications:
Diploma of Fine Arts (major in Painting) University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand - 1978-1981.

Exhibition History:
2009 "Japonisme" at Preston Street Artspace, Como, Perth.
2007 "Spirited Away" The Old Royal George Gallery, East Fremantle.
2005 "Geisha Then and Now" Gallery East, North Fremantle.
2005 "South West Exhibition" Yallingup Galleries, Yallingup WA.
2004 "Street Theatre" Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle
2001 "Poles Apart" joint exhibition with Max Podstolski (my brother)at Gadfly Gallery, Dalkeith, Perth.
2000 "Seeing the Light" Gadfly Gallery.
Plus many art awards in Western Australia.