Artist Statement

The natural world feels like a second home that provides a source of inspiration. In my artwork I have transitioned from exploring personal symbolism and mysticism in nature, to using allegory as a way to express functions and interpretations of nature in contemporary society.

In my new work I am using visual symbols, puns and associations to make social commentary on the ways in which we relate to nature on an everyday basis.  My work started to move in this direction when instead of looking outdoors for inspiration, I began to look for nature in people’s homes and in the media. I became interested in the way nature is used and portrayed in society and what those representations actually mean.  Is nature a precious resource? Is it beautiful, friendly and ornamental? Is it romanticized and mystical or is nature commercialized and a spectacle for all to see.

Everywhere I go I see plants, animals and natural resources functioning as romantic stories, domestic friends, ornamental designs, entertaining films, religious fetishes and sometimes violent fantasies. As an artist I am attracted to and interested in all of these interpretations.  I feel as though our relationship to the natural world is complicated and contradictory and I am intent on communicating this notion.

Currently, I am search of allegories and visual symbols which best narrate our daily encounters with nature. I would like to engage the audience in a creative, entertaining and thoughtful way with my work   My  source material is derived from film, fairy tales, advertisements and such texts “The Culture of Nature” by Alexander Wilson and “Flight Maps” by Jennifer Price and articles on “Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Colonization of the Imagination. My ideas are also inspired by nature objects found in corporate stores and fabric patterns.

I hope that my most recent work will pose questions as to how we incorporate nature into our lives and the ways in which, film, the media, and fairytales have shaped a certain reality in contemporary times.

Julie Cardillo ‘07