Julie Carcione

Artist Statement

In 2016, I began my recent series of “lace paintings”. They are acrylic on canvas, painting and drawing a lace
look with brushes and markers. It is my natural way to draw and allows me to create the detailed work of a 36”x
36” canvas in a few months’ time each. I started to add shadows and used the technique of tromp l’oeil.
After several years, the next step for the work was to create the lace. Learning to tat lace was interesting to me,
but I was anxious to get out my ideas, and tatting is extremely labor intensive. I created a way to mimic the lace
look of my paintings, but off the canvas where they can be made in multiple editions, like prints. The lace
paintings have become lace objects and have realized the idea that I would like to convey with this work, a
message rather than a decorative doily. My work revolves around fundamental opposing concepts of good and
evil, feminism, equality, gun control, animal activism, and motherhood. The lace for me is a way to
communicate these controversial topics with a feminine edge that may be looked over. That is part of the appeal
for me that the work is not for everyone.
I am working on larger pieces and experimentation of materials. The future of the lace paintings will utilize
other disciplines and techniques.