ARTIST STATEMENT
I’ve lived with an autoimmune disease for almost 30 years. The disease attacks my connective tissues, causing pain and inflammation. Since my body is constantly at war with itself I am often exhausted. Some days it is painful to move at all. But because the majority of the damage is internal, I don’t usually look sick. I don’t like to draw attention to myself so I strive to conform to what society expects from a healthy person: feeling like a fraud for feeling so much worse than I look; feeling guilty when I fail to meet a self-imposed high standard of production. I try to find a balance between pushing through and not pushing so hard that I injure myself. These paintings represent that struggle.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Julie Waltz-Stalker is a visual artist based in Corning, NY. She received a BA of Fine Art in painting and sculpture from Houghton University in 2006. From 2006-2009 Julie worked as a studio assistant and apprentice to the painter Thomas S. Buechner. Julie creates primarily in oil paint, alternating between representational and abstract styles. Much of her work is informed by her personal history and explores the intersection between what is seen and unseen, the physical and the psychological. Julie has received multiple awards in juried shows and her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the continental U.S.
© Julie Waltz-Stalker