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| Julie Paveglio, Prosperity, 2019, acrylic on vintage handkerchief, image size: 11 ¼ x 11 ¼ in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist |
New York-based artist Julie Paveglio and I had a conversation about her life, career, and her artwork.
Paveglio (b.1979) was born to a working-class family in Bay City, Michigan.
Early on, she knew she had an interest in art, but being from a small city, she
never had exposure to it. Her mother teaching her how to cross-stitch was the
closest training she had to a craft. In high school, her art teachers
encouraged and praised her talents, but she found the environment stifling.
After graduating from high school
in 1998, Paveglio enrolled in Delta College, a community college in Michigan.
There she met a supportive instructor (and motorcycle riding Buddhist) named
Larry Butcher. Butcher never tore anyone down, and instead, fostered a sense of
freedom, championing students when they produced exceptional work. Paveglio
found comfort in the classes she took because he would say things like “art and
the humanities are the only things that will love you back.”
Following her parents advice to
look into art school, Paveglio transferred to Kendall College of Art and Design
in Grand Rapids a year after studying at Delta College. Unfortunately, Paveglio
soon realized that although she took art seriously, many other students did
not. She instead returned to Bay City and continued
to take classes at Delta College with Larry Butcher, as well as courses at Saginaw
Valley State University. After
realizing she did not want to get a degree from Saginaw Valley, Paveglio
transferred to Central Michigan University and graduated with a BFA in 2007.
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| Julie Paveglio, Spring Moon, 2019, acrylic on doily, image size: 13 in. diameter, credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist |
Eager to continue learning about
art, Paveglio applied to three graduate schools, but received rejection notices
from all of them. Instead, Paveglio postponed graduate school and had a
residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2007. She describes her residency as
life-changing because for the first time in her life, she met artists that took
art as seriously as her. “It was the first time I met real artists, people who
lived in New York City, [who] were artist’s assistants or had been making work
for years… I saw that… there were communities outside of my small world,” she said.
In 2012, Paveglio moved to New York
City for her graduate studies at Brooklyn College. There, she took classes with
Vito Acconci every semester. Paveglio recalls many positive experiences with
him and even remembers some of his notorious quotes, like “I hate art,” and “If
your mother loves your work, it is bad.” Acconci influenced her own thinking
about experimentation and the use of unfamiliar mediums, especially when he
told her “don’t just paint. There aren’t mediums anymore. There is just doing.
As artists, we do.”
Other students were less interested
in learning about work and executing his assignments, and instead focused on solely
getting his stamp of approval because of his notoriety. Paveglio focused on
having personal conversations with him about existence and mortality. Most
rewarding of all was when Acconci told her that he enjoyed her paintings based
on children’s toys.
Paveglio graduated with an MFA from
Brooklyn College in 2014.
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| Julie Paveglio, Never Asked, 2015, acrylic and lace on canvas, image size: 30 x 24 in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist |
Paveglio’s art making practice
focuses on creation as catharsis. While her subject matter is based on reality,
it is heavily touched by Surrealism and spirituality. Painterly depictions of disembodied
body parts, flora and fauna, and the mother goddess archetype are frequently
represented in her work. Like Judy Chicago, she uses saturated colors and vivid
hues, and does not shy away from using explicit imagery.
Stylistically, her approach
connects to feminist art of the 1960s and the 1970s with significant parallels
to the Pattern and Decoration movement. Her use of lace, handkerchiefs, and
doilies as materials and painting surfaces strongly ties her work with Miriam
Schapiro and her definition of femmage. However, Paveglio’s work is not on the
scale of Schapiro’s monumental collages. Her handkerchief paintings are
intentionally small-scale because she wants a sense of intimacy to be
communicated.
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| Julie Paveglio, Mother, 2019, acrylic on vintage handkercheif on canvas, image size: 10 ½ x 11 in., credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist |
Currently, Paveglio has work in Got It For Cheap and Velvet Ropes. Curated by Charlie Roberts, Chris Rexroad, and Jordan “Watts” Watson,
Got It For Cheap is a series of group shows that travels to
major cities around the world, with all works priced at $30 USD. Velvet Ropes is similar to Got It For Cheap but works sell for $100 USD instead.
Professionally, Paveglio is an art handler in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary
Art department dealing with day sales. Since last year, she has been working on
sales back to back, with each sale having 200-300 works. Maintaining her studio
practice is difficult for her because her department is the busiest at Christie’s
with hardly a quiet day.
While Paveglio does work hard, she enjoys her job. And there is the
occasional celebrity spotting at Christie’s. She recalled a satisfying moment in
which she saw Cyndi Lauper looking at the sale she handled for. While her
working conditions dictate she cannot disturb clients, it left a lasting
impression on her.
Like many other artists, Julie Paveglio made her way to New York City
in search of art and artists. Many in her hometown believed she couldn’t make
it and would eventually go back, but Paveglio has succeeded in living in the
art capital of the United States since 2012. She couldn’t think of any other
way of living.
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| Julie Paveglio, credit: © Julie Paveglio, courtesy of the artist |
Julie Paveglio currently resides in
Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York City.
Her Instagram handle is: @juliepaveglio.
