In Conversation with Julz Beresford

Ahead of Julz Beresford's new exhibition, A Passage of Appreciation, Otomys sat down with the artist to dicuss the incredible journey she undertook in order to create this new body of work. Having traversed the mountainous regions of Southern Tasmania and Eastern Victoria, Julz has created a series of deeply evocative paintings that capture the primal beauty of these wondrous landscapes. 

 

OTOMYS: Your have entitled this exhibition ‘A Passage of Appreciation’. Can you tell us about the process of moving through different places and what it means to you? 

 

Julz Beresford: I try to relate my landscapes to an emotional journey, as well as a physical one. I traversed three different locations whilst creating this body of work, visiting locations that were new and different to me. Upon returning to the studio, I allowed myself to return to the emotions, sensations of experiences of these different locations, focusing on what I felt was important within the landscape. During the creation of this series, I engaged in the landscape by jumping in and out of different locations, relying on emotional impulse to gauge what locations I want to paint. I wanted to relate this physical journey to an emotional one through my paintings. After all, the physical and the emotional are intrinsically intertwined. 

 

The first location I journey to was rural Victoria. We drove through Glenrowan and the mountainous Alpine region. Although this land was beautiful and historically fascinating, I was distracted by interruptions of vineyards and expansive areas of agriculture. The land was tainted with too much of human habitation. I felt that my journey through this region was too rushed, as it was primarily experienced from within a moving car.

 

Tasmania, however, was a completely different experience. The tumultuous weather and terrain made it difficult to get the a comprehensive view of the landscape. A thick mist and constant drizzle obscured the distance, creating a constant haze of greys and purples. This obstruction did not deter me. Instead, it forced me to focus on my more immediate surroundings, approaching the landscape from a different perceptive. In many ways this was a learning experience. That was my journey within the landscape and I had to accept it, building my paintings around what I saw rather than what I expected. Nature is an unpredictable and unforgiving force. 

 

I believe that the physical and the emotional are inextricably intertwined. Our emotions dictate our physical experiences, just as our physical experiences influence our emotions. As a painter, I am really conscious of how physical spaces carry these emotions. My paintings attempt to capture the character of the journey and the soul of a location. Each location allows you to treat the paint differently. Different textures, lighting conditions and atmospheres within the landscape demand different brushstrokes. For example, when I paint mist my brushstrokes become lighter and more blended, replicating the soft and diffused light of the landscape. The subtlety of mark making is so important. By painting different landscapes I allow my technique to expand and diversify. 

 

 

OTOMYS: When travelling through the land you are confronted with a variety of different visuals and sensory elements. As a painter, what is most important to you observing and painting the landscape?

 

Julz Beresford: Everywhere I go is different. Whether I am visiting a completely new landscape for the first time, or returning to the same location for the twentieth time, I am always presented with a new experience. Recently, I challenged myself to focus on the delicate microcosms of the landscape, using intimate studies of native flora to construct broader impressions of the landscape. As an expressive painter, it was not my intention to meticulously render every leaf. Rather, I wanted to communicate the feeling and energy of an entire ecosystem. 

 

 

OTOMYS: What did you learn from painting unfamiliar landscapes?

 

Julz Beresford: This body of work traces three different locations; Glenrowan and Central Victoria, Tasman National Park in Tasmania, and Mountfield National Park, which is also in Tasmania. When travelling through these locations, whether you are walking or driving, you have to be quick to capture the essence and energy of a location. Not only was I moving quickly across the land, but unforgiving weather conditions changed the mood of a location within an instant. I enjoyed the challenge of having to work from these rapid impressions of the landscape and having to recall such transient experiences back in my studio. 

 

When painting a location I am familiar with, such as the Hawkesbury River, I am able to delve deeper into the landscape, exploring the effects of different weather and lighting conditions. New landscapes, however, present a great challenge for me. I enjoy the process of trying to re-create an authentic impression of the landscape from the little time that I had within that location. In many ways this body of work explores the power of first impressions, and how our impression of the landscape evolves with familiarity.

 

As I journey through these landscapes, it was interesting to learn what parts of the landscapes I connected with. Scaling the steep cliffs of the Three Capes in the Tasman National Park was thrilling and awe-inspiring, however the broad vistas did not connect with me as an artist. Rather, I was more inspired by the boat trip across the bay that we took to reach our starting destination.

 

 

OTOMYS: How did the landscape, mood and atmosphere in Victoria and Tasmania differ from that within New South Wales? Additionally, how did these differences influence this body of work? 

 

Julz Beresford: The variation in weather was the most startling difference between the South East and New South Wales. Travelling across Victoria and Tasmania I encountered four seasons in one day; thick fog, torrential rain, blistering sun and gale force wind all within the space of a couple of hours. It is a different world down there. Different weather conditions give way to different smells, plants and even lighting conditions. The light was much cooler, covering the landscape in a blue-ish hue. It gives way to a cool and mysterious mood that is almost primeval. Sydney’s weather, however, is far more temperate and predictable. The light is warm and saturated. 

 

As I travelled through Victoria and Tasmania I became fascinated by the colour palette of this landscape. The subtleties within this palette were bewitching. When creating a painting, I do not want to fabricate or exaggerate the natural composition of the landscape. Rather, I pull out what is already there, allowing the natural harmony and rhythm of the landscape to guide my composition and palette. I want to create paintings that are authentic and true to my experience within them. I do not create a didactic impression of the landscape, but rather an emotionally realistic representation of my experience within it. The painting tells a story. 

 

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