Julia Takahashi
Tesuque, NM
Imperfect Beauty 5
Oil on Canvas
36" x 48"
2023
$4320
About
Julia Takahashi started her artistic career as a ceramicist, became a practicing architect and is now working in oil, collage, mixed media and sculpture. Her background as a Japanese American provided a strong grounding in the power of being a bridge between cultures. She grew up in Colorado but has been visiting Taos and Northern New Mexico since she was a child. Julia moved back to Northern New Mexico almost 30 years ago and now lives in the Nambe River Valley where she has her studio. She has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Design and a Master of Architecture and Urban Design. She took some art courses during her academic years, but most of her training has been through apprenticeship, mentorship, non-accredited classes and her own study and practice.
Artist Statement
Imperfect Beauty is about things not fully revealed and the hidden and lingering emotions expressed within the gesture.
In nature we find the form of a twig, a leaf, a rock etched into being by the forces around it – sun, wind, water, season and its interaction with other living creatures – a myriad of variations on the eidos or perfect form. In this series, the gesture, the mark, the paint stroke expresses a fleeting moment against the canvas where paint has been scraped and degraded to capture the feeling of the eroded, the rusted and the peeling aspect of elements exposed to time.
The work takes its direction from the Japanese aesthetic concept of Wabi, a finely tuned sensitivity to the emotive and affective aspects arising from the idealization of a hermit’s life and its closeness to nature. This sensitivity finds its roots in Shinto where we find a shamanic twining of man and environment, the sense of wholeness with the earth and the acceptance of the flux of life.
There is an enjoyment that can be found in the natural imperfection of things. Imperfection as deliberate choice engages both the maker and the observer in a journey into a deeper knowing. It surprises us, stimulating our imagination and gives rise to the question, “Why?” Pursuing answers, we find a greater appreciation for ourselves and our planet.
Art from Julia Takahashi in other TAAC exhibitions