Customer Reviews

Julie Speed: Paintings, Constructions, and Works on Paper

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For those not familiar with the work of iconoclastic artist Julie Speed let me quote Edmund Pillsbury, former Director of the Kimbell Art Museum and presently Director of the Meadows Museum. In the introduction to this beautifully illustrated volume we read, " In Julie Speed's paintings everything appears real, but on more careful inspection there is usually something unfamiliar, if not odd, present. Her paintings offer infinite possibilities. Whereas her collages and sculptures assembled from preexisting parts are exercises in surrealism, the paintings supercede realism; they are, in the artist's own vernacular pararealistic......"

Intrigued? You should be. Fascinated? You will be upon examining "Julie Speed: Paintings, Constructions, and Works on Paper," a comprehensive and compelling volume presenting 100 color plates of her oil paintings, constructions, and works on paper.

Pillsbury and Ferrer, both noted art historians, contribute a body of essays which focus on Speed's relationship to painters throughout the ages. The book closes with passages drawn from "Books of Conversation," which was an opportunity for museum visitors to jot down their thoughts and questions for the artist. Speed's responses to these jottings is particularly revelatory.

An accessible artist, Speed lives in Austin Texas. Of her life she says, "I keep hours just like a real job, only longer, and in my spare time I read books, drink tequila, garden, and drive around West Texas." No doubt she's a boon companion!

Julie Speed is an original, an artist who communicates ideas in her work, sometimes with humor, at other times with a sense of foreboding. I venture to say her paintings are unlike any most of us have seen. Thanks to Drs. Ferrer and Pillsbury for giving us the opportunity.

I have been a fan of Julie Speed since visiting Austin in 1999 and seeing the "Queen of My Room" exhibition. I have my own Julie Speed gallery, a bunch of her postcards that I bought at the Austin Museum of Art and taped to my bedroom door. So when I saw that she had a book out, I ordered it immediately.
What a gorgeous book! It's so big it doesn't fit in my book shelf, but that's okay. There's a great Q&A section about her painting process, then many, many pages of full color photos of her work. For fans of her bizarre, intriguing style, this is a real treat.