About Julia

My art career began with illustration and oil painting. I first studied painting and drawing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and later with David A. Leffel, reknowned painter and teacher, at the Art Student's League of New York. I also took instruction in children's book illustration at Rhode Island School of Design. For a long time I was engaged mainly with drawing and painting in a representational manner. I made illustrations for a series of sheet music for children and also for classic children's stories. However, over time I found I was being drawn more and more to the direct physical process of creating art, and in particular three-dimensional art.

With this in mind, I tried my hand at pottery, creating organic pieces using materials such as terra cotta, porcelain and objects collected from nature walks (shells, leaves, berries etc.). I used silver and gold washes in order to contrast the ethereal with the earthy qualities of the pottery. I enjoyed the process of creating art with my hands, but found I was often too impatient to wait for things to be fired to see the final result.

About five years ago I decided to try a new medium: metal, silver and gold. I started taking jewelry courses at the DeCordova Museum and fell in love with everything involved in the design and production of jewelry. Further, I love jewelry, so it was a chance to make things for myself that I could actually wear and enjoy. With time, I felt the urge to share that enjoyment by making things for others, too. I love the tools, the smell of the solvents, and the immediacy of the process.

I appreciate beauty in all its forms and am inspired by the beauty that is found in nature. I try to capture it and reflect it back in the pieces I make.

- Julia Kritzman