Upcoming show: COLLECT by Artist Project at the Vancouver Interior Design Show

I’m excited to be showing my work at IDS in Vancouver, BC later this month! The show runs September 22nd to 25th at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, open to the public on Thursday night, Saturday and Sunday. You can find more info about the show here, and if you’d like complimentary passes I have some to give away so please drop me a note. Hope to see you there!

The workshop is part of AFTERwords: a condolences project, organized by Sharon Stevens, Curator of Equinox Vigil, and will take place in Calgary’s historic Union Cemetery on Saturday Sept. 10th. You can also register for an afternoon session, Consider the Envelope, with Lisa Murphy-Lamb, a hands-on workshop exploring grief and expressing condolences through handwritten letters and handmade stationery and cards.

Artist Project Toronto

I took part in my first art fair this spring - Artist Project in Toronto. What an amazing experience! I got to meet so many talented artists, and I was truly humbled by everyone’s enthusiasm and curiosity about my work. Things were off to a rough start when 24 HOURS BEFORE I FLEW TO TORONTO, FedEx suddenly changed my parcel delivery estimate to the day AFTER the show closed, but once that all got sorted out (yes I got all my work on time), everything went great.

Some of my favourite co-exhibitors whose work I really loved seeing in person and who you might also enjoy were Lana Filippone, Heather Cook, and the most sublime Maureen O’Connor.

If you attended the show and were still thinking about acquiring a print please get in touch so we can chat!

Point Pelee National Park Residency and Exhibition, Leamington, ON

I was chosen to be one of 6 Artists in Residence at Point Pelee National Park in Ontario this June, and it was an amazing experience! There were raccoons, lightning bugs, and dozens of new-to-me birds. There was a guided walk or interpretive presentation offered to our group every day, and I learned so much about the park’s ecosystems, including the heated battles for habitat between native and invasive species like cattails and phragmites. The park is mostly marsh (the remainder is poison ivy…kidding! sort of), and since Pelee WIngs was kind enough to offer free kayak rentals to the artists, I spent most of my time out paddling (BONUS: no ticks or poison ivy in the marsh). It was a big change from my usual land-based collection forays, and (Parks Canada Collections Permit in hand) I was able to gather specimens to create a whole new series featuring aquatic plants. I’ll be showing some of these new prints alongside work by the other artists in residence at our group exhibition at the Leamington Arts Centre from Sept 21 - Oct 16, 2022. The opening reception is September 23rd.

Alfresco Science Machine Expedition to Juan de Fuca Strait (Spring 2022)

I loaded up the Alfresco Science Machine in May and drove out to the southwest shore of Vancouver Island, and spent 10 days camped at French Beach. I was really lucky to be joined for the first half of the trip by my very talented friend Stephanie Jager, who came along to help shoot some photos and video about my work. She is helping me put together a short video about what I do out in the field, and I can’t wait to share it when it’s ready!

The main purpose of the trip was to create a new set of images for an upcoming project I have on the go with Chronicle Books… and as always the Island did not disappoint. I got to visit the famous Big Lonely Doug, and see some truly giant trees in the old growth forest at Eden Grove. There were tons of charismatic mushrooms and mosses to scan (of course) but I was also able to find some really cool seaweeds this time around. As my work has evolved over the years I’ve been doing most of my scanning in situ as opposed to bringing specimens home to the studio. This posed a bit of a challenge since French Beach has no power, but thanks to some battery packs and the Sooke branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (where I hung out and recharged my batteries!) I was able to make about 40 new images that will slowly become available.

Critical Mass Finalist 2022

Last but not least, I’m happy to say that my work was shortlisted for Photolucida’s 2022 Critical Mass. In this case, ‘it is an honour just to be nominated’ is really true, since the work of everyone on this shortlist will be reviewed by all kinds of gallerists, photo editors, curators and more, so I’m excited to see what comes of this opportunity.

Thanks for reading! You can also follow along on instagram for updates, and find my work in person at Christine Klassen Gallery in Calgary. See you in the forest!

-Julya