Juliane von Kunhardt

My body of work wanders between the personal and the global context, and it feeds from what I see in media (mainly books) and what surrounds me.  I address a variety of subjects which range from classical children’s portraits and conceptual work with a social message. The constant thread running through my broad-ranging body of work is this: Giving justice to the importance of a subject without losing a sense of hope and humor.

I am trained as a graphic designer and enjoy working with line and shape, always trying to balance out playfulness with simplicity. For my various techniques my materials range from superfine ink pens to broad oil color sticks.

The series of chickens shown here I make with colored pencils. I use a similar range of colors to create the lushness of the plumage through subtle changes in value and hue. I place the beak in the center of the compositions and focus on one solid shape by leaving a blank background to produce the effect of a classic portrait.

In my newest topic, The Colony Collapse Disorder, I explore the phenomenon of the mysterious vanishing of the bees. Here again, my goal is to create a series of paintings that is both informative and fun. Therefore I create curiosity by presenting a colorful eye catcher. A fun bumblebee butt flying away from me into the background. Bright colors of the under painting peek through and highlight the fluffy body of the insect. The bee is the main actor, all eyes are on her, therefore I place her as the focal point right in the middle of the scene. I built depth by showing shadows on the fur in a naturalistic style. The rest of the surrounding sky will be treated with a pallet knife. Thickly applied, complementary color covers the under painting and contrasts the fragile wings by its rough simplicity.

Education:

Studied Fine Arts at the Academia di Belli Arti in Urbino/ Italy
Studied Fine Arts at the University of Passau in Bavaria/ Germany
Received Master of Arts from the University of Applied Sciences in Münster.

Studio:
Noyes Cultural Art Center,
927 Noyes Street, Evanston, room 217

Website:  www.juleskunhardt.com
Instagram: @juleskunhardt

Shop Evanston Made: Jules Kunhardt