Julz Beresford ‘Still and Present’

An essential part of Julz Beresford’s practice is being in the landscape, to be still and present observing nuances which inform the way she focuses her attention. It is here that Beresford collects her Gouache studies and drawings which later become a critical part of her studio-based work. These ‘Plein Air’ studies refocus her mind back to what had captured her attention. Often Beresford responds to the colour of her subjects and searches for locations where she finds a connection. One which pushes her studio-based practice to rethink the physical application of this expression. She is interested in questioning the physical process of mark making in such a way that translates the observed ‘real’ into an expressive piece of art. She ask’s herself ‘how does the process of mark making translate the essence of the place I’m trying to recreate’?

Beresford’s intent is for the audience to feel engaged with the energy of the landscape. Her works are both an expressive piece of the whole process, and an embodiment of how it actually feels to be there. Her paintings have a sense of intense energy. She paints ‘Alla Prima’ with a vigorous and spirited application challenging herself to remain in the moment and ‘solve’ the painting as a whole.

In this body of work Beresford has once again returned to the memories of her childhood. Contrasting her romantic views of the countryside with the euphoria experienced, while boating on her local waterway. Both landscapes working together building a language of mark marking which inadvertently directs each other. She treats her studio-based practice as a learning journey where she constantly challenges herself on ‘how she sees’ in order to physically interpret her ‘reality’ of the Australian landscape. Moulding a style of storytelling which relay the emotions of her mind. A bold type of realistic expressionism.