Julie Shelton Snyder: now we will count to twelve
March 5, 2019 through April 28, 2019
"Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much."
--From “Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda
Julie Shelton Snyder’s art is a study in meditation and stillness. In this body of work, inspired by or created during her residency at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan, Shelton Snyder explores the concept of pause: stopping and withdrawing from our normal routines to center ourselves.
“It is not about running away from the important issues of life,” Shelton Snyder says. “It’s about being empowered to give of ourselves.”
In the Church calendar, Lent is a season of withdrawal and self-denial in preparation for the feasting and celebration that comes with Easter. It is a time of restraint that leads to fuller engagement. Drawing from her Christian faith and employing mokuhanga, the traditional woodblock printing technique she studied during her residency, Shelton Snyder calls for a similar response in her work. Creating abstract images that draw the viewer into contemplation, Shelton Snyder invites the viewer to pause in order to return to the world with more active, intentional engagement.
About the artist:
Julie Shelton Snyder is a printmaker and painter based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She views her studio practice as an integral part of her spiritual practice as a Christian.
Julie earned her BFA in Studio Art at Belmont University in 2016. Since graduating,
her focus has been on woodblock printmaking. In the spring of 2018, Julie
participated in a mokuhanga artist-in-residence program, learning traditional
woodblock printmaking techniques while living at the base of Mt Fuji. She is drawn to mokuhanga because of its focus on natural materials.
Facing piece: “this really happened” by Julie Shelton Snyder
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