Julika Pettigrew

Form, colour and light - key elements in my career as an interior architect. Since giving up work, for family reasons, I have found a fulfilling creative outlet by translating these into my abstract, expressionist paintings.

I draw inspiration from built or natural environments. When moving through spaces, I am fascinated by the energy I sense between various forms. In my art, I explore the correlation between different two-
dimensional shapes.

I work primarily with acrylic paint, utilising scrapers as the first tool of choice. My process involves multiple layers of marks made with various objects, and fabric or paper collage.

The initial stages are intuitive and expressive and result in preliminary positive and negative shapes. Later, I curate the composition of form and light, and add accents with pastels or dry pigments.

I am a ‘materials person’, very tactile, with a deep love for woven fabric, natural wood surfaces and other interior finishes. Creating intricate textures with my hands and tools, brings me full circle in my ‘second career’ as an artist.

For the viewer, I seek to convey a sense of positivity and possibility through an invigorating play of marks and colours. I endeavour to create a connection through my rich textures and details. These allow the viewer’s eye to wander on from the focal points and discover intricate patterns, marks or scribbled words, describing affirmations or feelings that allow the viewer to tap into their own.

Working with paint allows me to use dozens of different tools and ways to apply the paint in varying depths, and to manipulate its surface. This results in a variety of finishes, surfaces and edges: rough and smooth, clean or feathered.

Creating these intricate textures and details is what motivates me to spend hours and hours on each of my pieces.