Every element of these framed works on paper was inspired by the Armour-Stiner Octagon House and surrounding gardens. Many years ago, Julia dreamt about a pink octagonal house and it was such a vivid dream she never forgot that vision. Having no idea one existed in reality, she was awestruck when walking along the Croton Aqueduct trail in 2019 shecame upon the house peeking through the trees. When the Lombardi family invited Julia to create this body of work for the 3rd floor of their spectacular home, it was thrilling for her to meander each room and make notes, photographs, and sketches. After documenting hundreds of architectural features, plants, changing foliage, seasonal light and the 360 degree views from the windows and porch she set out to create art that could feel at home here. Early on in the process, Julia invited Gerald Kurian to collaborate on the exhibition to craft frames that would suit this this unique setting. The plants that populate each work are featured in elements within the house such as the etched glass windows and porch details, the foxglove garden, the glorious grounds, the historic greenhouse, and floral patterns seen on various surfaces throughout each floor. The Egyptian Revival room was filled with inspirational highlights, which include the patterns and patina on the handmade gold frames. The pair of arched top works were based on the shape of the windows on the 3rdfloor (including in the Curio room), and the round windows with octagon shaped openings on the 4th floor inspired the tondo frame.
“In these works on paper, I approach each growing thing with equal importance regardless of whether it is a weed, rare species, wildflower, or cultivated flower. Most works have several species fused into one composition, often to the point where the exact plants depicted are open to interpretation. Each composition starts as a blue and white print onto watercolor paper and then I paint in many layers of color pigment. I am most interested in creating objects that feel both beautiful and mysterious. I want each cyanotype painting to be familiar yet slightly outside of time.”
– Julia Whitney Barnes
Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic printing process invented in 1842 by scientist and astronomer, Sir John Hirschel, which produces a cyan-blue print when a non-toxic chemistry-coated surface is exposed to sunlight. Through the use of this medium, Whitney Barnes manipulates physical impressions of plants grown locally in her Hudson Valley garden and other nearby areas, along with intricately cutout photographic negatives. Each selected flower is preserved through a pressing process in which she dissects and shapes each form—akin to a specimen from a natural history museum—and then lays everything out in massive flat files in her attic studio. Given that sunlight starts the exposure process with cyanotype chemistry, she carefully arranges each elaborate composition at night and utilizes long exposures under natural or UV light to create the final prints. Once the unique cyan imagery is fused, she meticulously paints the exposed watercolor paper with multiple layers of watercolor, ink and gouache. Each cyanotype is created by the power of light, inspiring viewers to look at these very recognizable images in new and different ways.
A selection from the limited edition of prints is available in the gift shop and the original framed works are available through Julia’s site as well as additional print options.
Julia Whitney Barnes is an artist living in Poughkeepsie, NY who works in a variety of media from cyanotypes, watercolor, gouache, oil paintings, stained glass, murals, and site-specific installations. She has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally including the Dorksy Museum, New Paltz, NY; Ely Center of Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT; Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM), Woodstock, NY; Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, ME; Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY; Kenise Barnes Fine Art, Kent, CT; Garvey|Simon NY, New York, NY and most recently a solo exhibition at Galerie Julian Sander in Cologne, Germany. She was awarded fellowships from New York State Council on the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Arts Mid-Hudson, Abbey Memorial Fund for Mural Painting/National Academy of Fine Arts, and the Gowanus Public Art Initiative, among others.
Born in Newbury, VT, Julia Whitney Barnes spent two decades in Brooklyn, before moving to the Hudson Valley in 2015. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design and her MFA from Hunter College. Whitney Barnes has created site-specific installations at the Albany International Airport, Albany, NY; Brookfield Place/Winter Garden, New York, NY; Arts Brookfield, Brooklyn, NY, the Wilderstein Sculpture Biennial, Rhinebeck, NY; Shaker Heritage Society, Albany NY; The Trolley Barn/Fall Kill Creative Works, Poughkeepsie, NY; GlenLily Grounds, Newburgh, NY; ArtsWestchester, White Plains, NY; Gowanus Public Arts Initiative, Brooklyn, NY; Space All Over/Fjellerup Bund i Bund & Grund, Fjellerup, Denmark; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY; Brooklyn School of Inquiry, Brooklyn, NY; New York City Department of Transportation, New York, NY; and Figment Sculpture Garden, Governors Island, NY and among other locations. Whitney Barnes was awarded a glass commission for NYC Public Art for Public Schools/Percent for Art that is slated to be unveiled Fall 2024. To learn more about the artist visit: www.juliawhitneybarnes.com or @juliawhitneybarnes on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Kurian & Co. / Frame & Display is a framing and custom fabrication operation founded in 2009 that is based in an eight thousand square foot workshop in Yonkers, NY. The team is led by founder and proprietor Gerald Kurian, who began working in the picture framing industry in the early 1990's. Since relocating to New York City in 1997, Gerald has collaborated extensively with both artists and galleries to produce shows, while also working with individuals to create unique and special frames, exhibition furniture, and custom-fabricated elements to suit their needs. Gerald and his team of skilled craftspeople have extensive experience across woodworking, finishing, fabrication, construction, art handling, conservation and installation. Many of them are artists themselves with their own studio practice; they thus bring to their work at Kurian & Co. a particular sensitivity gleaned from working with and around art in a variety of settings.
In addition to making frames, Gerald and his team are also highly skilled in the archival handling of artwork, and they use museum grade standards of conservation framing while fitting art into frames. Their extensive experience with a wide range of archival techniques and materials will ensure that your artwork is handled and preserved for display in the best way possible for now and the future. To learn more visit: www.kurianframe.co or @kurianframe on Instagram.
