Artist discusses life in circus, showcases art at the Venue

Not much beats the combination of cupcakes and art.

Juliana Burrell, local artist and elementary school art teacher, spoke Tuesday at The Venue Fine Art & Gifts about her paintings currently on display.

Guests were treated to refreshments including chocolate cake and cupcakes as they listened to Burrell’s stories of growing up in South America , attending college at Indiana University and spending four years as an aerialist in a circus.

“I loved (oil paints) at IU, and then when I was in the circus I used it to paint elephants ... but it was too cumbersome to take oils in a trailer in a circus, so I quit painting,” Burrell said. Eight years later, she said, she was painting again and wanted to paint big.

While her artwork varies from flowers she remembers from Brazil to contorted forms of circus performers, they are all clearly from the same artist. She uses a squeezable bottle instead of a paintbrush to render the texture and depth along the borders in her paintings. Like the many pieces of a stained glass window, individual shapes are clearly defined by a margin of separation and the colors within, clean and vibrant, come together like a puzzle to create the larger composition.

Burrell currently teaches art to first through fifth graders at Centerton and Smith  elementary schools in Martinsville.

On Tuesday at The Venue, Burrell brought examples of an interesting exercise she asks her students to complete. A highlighter is used to draw architecture from a reference image. She then asks the students to trace around those lines with a fine-tipped Sharpie, not crossing the highlighter lines. This exercise creates bright works that resemble the jigsaw puzzle shapes that define Burrell’s style.

“I’ve learned a lot from my students ... It’s amazing how free they are and how able they are,” Burrell said.

Burrell’s paintings will remain on display at The Venue through May 31. Her work can also be viewed on her website www.julianaburrell.com.

— Darryl Smith