Spirit

Wednesday, January 11, 2012


For me, illustrating is about the marriage of intention with unaltered spirit.

While I switch gears in my career, I'm been creating art for the portfolio around what seem like my two "passion axes": history (narrative) and fashion (aesthetic), two universes I am endlessly inspired by. Meanwhile, my illustration style is also undergoing reinvention by forces of growth and controlled intention....but all the while...unaltered scribbling continues in the after hours, while art-ness puzzles itself out! People from other places appear on computer paper, not caring much for intention:



This is my little way of drawing that is more personal than professional in my mind. I draw like this when I listen to a song that makes my heart beat faster, or at night when it's very still and I slip back out into the studio. My drawers are filled with them and I'm not sure where they ought to live. They're very narrative and feel like little "spirit drawings" to me....for now I plop them into the "Character Studies" page.

I drew her late, after a day of genealogy research. I was trying to capture the feeling when you come into contact with a past that feels very alive, and stories are whispering through you. Do you know that feeling?

8 comments:

Brooke Boynton-Hughes said...

I love the idea of "Spirit drawings" and I am very interested to see what comes out of the reinvention that your style is undergoing.

And, yes, the feeling of a story whispering through me is one of the most magical feelings of all.

Thank you for sharing such a lovely post!

www.juliadenos.com said...

Yes! So glad you know it too Brooke.
Thanks for reading and encouragement.

J. Johny said...

Big fan! I love how you tell the emotion of history.

How do you get your pictures onto your blog? Scanning? Do you take a picture of your sketches? The color still seems to be very vibrant which is often lost with scanning.

Mai Kemble said...

I think I can relate to what you wrote here... I often wish that I could put a bit more of my personal sketchy ideas or ideas of how something should look, but the manuscripts I get don't seem to call for this much... I hope to get more variety at some point to put more of that side into my art as well- in published work.
I think you show in all that you do, and I really appreciate all the ways each book looks so intentionally executed the way it is= different for each one, but still Julia Denos!!! Bravo!

Becca said...

These are beautiful. I love the couple reading - makes me think Darcy and Lizzie! :) x

anne said...

Yes, I relate in a passion sort of way...you've been made to absorb & delight in history & so your coming alive makes sense ~ it's who you are made to be ~ And isn't it wonderful to be able to connect with that inner joy & then let the pencil manifest it on paper ~ wow Julia!

jacklynn4 said...

I can see the soul of your spirit drawings, just lovely...

Catharine said...

Love these drawings especially the gentleman & lady! She looking coy and he glancing back at her! True Valentine material.