Julie Tarsha

A self-taught artist, Julie was raised in southern California, but discovered her love for the desert in her grandparents Tucson backyard, where she spent summers watering the cactus and capturing horny toads. A part-time artist throughout her life, she happily returned to her love of painting after retirement from her nursing career. She currently enjoys a daily painting practice in her north Phoenix home studio, and exhibits her work regularly throughout the valley. Artist Statement: With color and motion as my tools, I strive to capture the mystery that I experienced as a child in a world so much larger than myself. Layers of acrylic paint, graphite and artist crayon build into a visual dialogue on giant sheets of unstretched canvas tacked to my studio walls. I ask my deepest questions, and respond intuitively with gestural movement. When I step into the studio, I’m accompanied by that childish enchantment that brings a joy of risk taking, exploration and a deep belief in magic. My inner philosopher joins the fray, with suggestions of hidden meanings and universal truths. All is brought together to create a visual exploration of this desert dweller’s intriguing connection to the Sonoran desert.