Growing up in Dallas, Julia Briggs was surrounded by the landscapes and still life paintings of her grandmother and great-grandmother. Her grandmother served as Julia’s inspiration ."I remember always having a creative instrument in my hand. I would draw on napkins, books, table tops, and dolls embellishing their faces." After high school graduation, Briggs took a summer drawing course at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She was encouraged by her instructor to submit her work and apply to Parsons despite having no formal training or portfolio. Briggs compiled her work, submitted it, and started her first semesters that fall.
Parsons helped her develop as an artist. Briggs credits Emil Nolde, George Grosz, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, and folk art as her influences. "I was always drawn to artist that celebrated the figure and were able to make the figure new again with their personal style."
After graduating from Parsons, Briggs setup a studio in Brooklyn. A friend dropped by after Briggs had created a series of paintings. Based on his referral, Bergdorf Goodman showcased her work in their windows. Shortly after, Craighead Green Gallery exhibited her work in their Dallas showroom.
“I strive to be a spontaneous painter. I want to stay loose enough to feel the pulse of the subject but focused enough to maintain its integrity. Color is vital. I tend to paint soulful, confident women in fantastic and uncanny scenes. I love to tell a story and create a mystery around my characters. I don't feel compelled to completely abstract what I see. The natural human form is brilliant. I don't want to depart too far from that. Rather create interest and enhance with abstraction, cubism and maybe some whimsy.”
Briggs name amongst collectors began to grow and is known as a great emerging artist whose work is now in private collection all over the world including China, France, England, Germany, Morocco, Belgium, Italy and the US. Partaking in fundraisers, special events, and large projects has inspired Briggs to cultivate a series of story centric art that expresses her interpretation of modern relationships.
Briggs primary studio is located in Dallas..
|
|