A few weeks ago a reader (hayyy Sharon!) left a comment on my post that her sister was a photographer and that I might like her work.
“Like” would be a HUGE understatement.
Ladies and Gentleman, I bring you, Julie Blackmon.
Night Movie
Lost Mitten
After Party
Floatie
The Power of Now
Queen
I love her work so much. Totally reminds me of the classic weirdness and interest I am drawn to in Donald Roller Wilson’s work. I could stare at them for hours. They don’t even look like photography to me, the lighting and colors and composition look like beautiful oil paintings.
According to her artist statement:
”The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, helped inspire this body of work. I am the oldest of nine children and now the mother of three. As Steen’s personal narratives of family life depicted nearly 400 yrs. ago, the conflation of art and life is an area I have explored in photographing the everyday life of my family and the lives of my sisters and their families at home. These images are both fictional and auto-biographical, and reflect not only our lives today and as children growing up in a large family, but also move beyond the documentary to explore the fantastic elements of our everyday lives, both imagined and real.
The stress, the chaos, and the need to simultaneously escape and connect are issue that I investigate in this body of work. We live in a culture where we are both “child centered” and “self-obsessed.” The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to dominate. Caught in the swirl of soccer practices, play dates, work, and trying to find our way in our “make-over” culture, we must still create the space to find ourselves. The expectations of family life have never been more at odds with each other. These issues, as well as the relationship between the domestic landscape of the past and present, are issues I have explored in these photographs. I believe there are moments that can be found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary. It is in finding these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout time seem remarkably unchanged. As an artist and as a mother, I believe life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and reality: to see the mythic amidst the chaos.”
Y’all, check out Julie Blackmon.
I can’t get her work out of my head.
And I must have been sleepy when I hit publish this morning, because I failed to mention that her sister, Sharon, who gave me the heads up in the first place is also a completely fantastic designer herself.
Room design by Sharon featuring Julie’s The Power of Now. Sisterz sticking together!
Talented family.
Do you love?
These are incredible! Thank you for sharing. Must make more money so I can buy more art!!
Love that you blogged about Julie! Her work is magical and inspiring. Everyone should have her book. It’s the best addition to any art book collection.
Wow! These images are unbelievable. Thanks so much for sharing. I love her artist statement.
Wow. Could stare for hours myself.
Night movie and Floatie… hours and hours…
Great find. Newest fan.
I love Lost Mitten and Floatie! I wonder if she would do a giveaway with you??
Have you seen Sharon’s design work too? I’m obsessed with her. She does such great interiors and has a home store too called Pickwick House!
New fan here! These are incredible! Thanks for sharing, Bailey.
absolutely love! thanks for sharing bailey.
Her photography is gorgeous, isn’t it? She shoots alot of it in her own home, too. Design Mom just did a blog post featuring Julie’s home, which I think you would love. Check it out http://www.designmom.com/2013/01/living-with-kids-julie-blackmon/
amazing, and truly magical!! Love the modern twist on this style.
She’s the coolest.
Wow, yes, yes love her work! Sadly, it’s out of my price range by a couple thousand dollars
So inspired by her artist statement. Thanks for sharing!
HAYYY, Bailey! LOVE that you love my sister, Julie’s work. Thank you. {That’s me, in red coat, in the snow up there. Also my foot in floatie.} Haha. Thanks for including us in one of your always-fUN-posts, girl! Btw, Camila, thank you for the sweet words about my work too. Bailey, we should have a ‘book club’ of the Julie Blackmon sort, sometime. {If not in person, maybe in this virtual world, with a bottle or two of wine, haha.}
xxxx
A sucker for the Night Movie!!!!! Well, moreso for Captain Von Trapp hehe. Thanks for sharing with us!
love these, absolutely beautiful. magical realism photography almost? also wondering if you might like frohawk two-feathers. we bought one a few years ago and i think some of his work has the same whimsy you are attracted to.
Well, I love her work also. Head to Fayetteville to visit us and our remodel. We will take you over to Roller Wilson’s house though I don’t promise he will see us!
Obsessed! Those photographs are amazing!
,,,oh my! i love julie’s whimsical photography,,,