Julie van Nispen Art
Artist Biography
Julie van Nispen
Julie van Nispen is a self-taught artist living at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne. She has a delightful view of the hills from her studio window and finds a lot of her artistic inspiration in nature.
Julie has been a creative all her life with her art journey beginning in early childhood; she has fond memories of watching Disney on a Sunday evening and drawing the characters she saw.
Growing up Julie studied many modalities including watercolour, sculpture, pottery, painting along with other creative pursuits such as sewing, fashion and embroidery, knitting and macramé.
After finishing high school she studied photography at The Melbourne School of Art and Photography in Elsternwick and worked in the photographic industry for some time.
Julie also spent many years working as a massage therapist and energy healer and has a strong spiritual practice which influences her art.
Most recently Julie has focused on developing her skills in painting and drawing and enjoys blending her spiritual practice with her art practice by creating Mandalas designed to invoke a sense of healing, enlightenment and the sacred.
Artist Statement
In my professional life working as a massage therapist and energy healer I became acutely aware of the interconnectedness of everything. In 2014 I was introduced to a true spiritual teacher in Bali, Indonesia whose teachings and meditation practices deepened my understanding.
I found myself drawn to sacred geometry and the mandala through my spiritual practice and consider it a powerful tool for healing the spirit.
I treat the creation of a Mandala as a Ritual. As I prepare my canvas I am already in a state of devotion and receptivity for whatever may unfold. Each piece has its own story to tell through the selection of pattern, colour, geometry and intention.
I take my inspiration from the natural world. There is an order: an underlying structure to everything such as the pattern in the seeds of a sunflower or the perfection of a conch shell.
It is this idea of an underlying pattern in nature that I present in my paintings, and this is how I explore and express the belief that everything is interconnected.
