JULIA MALEEVA
Julia was born in Bulgaria in 1974. After receiving her BA in Fine Arts and MA in Architecture, she went to USA where she completed Postgraduate specialisation in Architectural Heritage in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her graphics and sketches can be seen in the US Library of Congress.
Inspired by the works of Willem De Kooning, Robert Motherwell and Sammy Peters since she has been working in the USA, Julia describes her style as abstract expressionism.
Julia has been living and working in Bristol for the last 15 years and now focuses completely on painting from her studio in Clifton.
“My painting is a journey between three seas: the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Black Sea. The attempt to bridge the colours of Provence, Cornwall and Black Sea coast, has been a journey between sea, wind, roads, emotions, ink sketches, canvas, paint, light and a viewer. What makes these places special for me is the light, which is very distinctive and specific. These places are around water, and the colours differ because of the magic of light. My art is a deconstruction process of layers of paint waiting to be scraped and then layered back in a different perspective, just to show something more interesting. The way to go backwards discovers to me a unique story, like a detective game to find clues from the past.”
Working in oils, Julia is fascinated with the interplay of different perspectives and dimensions, amalgamation of techniques. Exploring two-dimensional relationship with form, colour and texture has always been her main interest. The challenge to maintain the right balance between graphic lines and colours. Influenced by her architectural background often the protagonist is a forgotten old building on a charming cobbled street.
“I use cold wax as one of the main ingredients in my paintings, which allows me to create unique textures. Working only with palette knives I often add to the premixed oil/wax substance - Cornish sand, chopped sea weeds, old tea leaves or just scrapes of old paint from my palette. The whole scraping process involves my imagination to reuse everything again into the painting and be able to create a kind of sustainable art. Small bobbles are one of my signatures, made from scrapes and different mixtures. The wax also helps me to establish more translucency to the oil colours. I am ultimately on a journey to create a new fusion of dry point and oil painting, wrapped in cold wax.”
Julia is represented by Carina Haslam Gallery and regularly has very successful shows in London, Singapore and New York.
Julia’s art features in private collections in the UK, France, Germany, New York, Trinidad, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bulgaria.
She has won the People’s Choice Award in the Summer Exhibition in Clifton in 2021.
Julia is associate member of Penwith Society of Arts Cornwall.
Solo Exhibitions
My Three Seas, Penwith Gallery, St. Ives, Cornwall, 2024
Midsummer Dreams in Yellow, Orange and Lime – Wimbledon Fine Art London, 2023
Translucent Colours – SPRING Cheltenham, 2023
2023
Winter Show at Dockside Gallery, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Affordable Art Fair Singapore with Carina Haslam Gallery
Affordable Art Fair Battersea with Carina Haslam Gallery
West Bristol Arts Trail, Julia Maleeva Open Studio, Bristol
“Contrast and Connections”, Tarpey Gallery, Castle
Affordable Art Fair Hampstead with Carina Haslam Gallery
Sussex Art Fair
The Decorative Fair, London with Catharine Miller Gallery
FRESH Art Fair, Cheltenham with Little Buckland Gallery
North Somerset Arts Trail, Clifton Suspension Bridge
Affordable Art Fair New York City with Carina Haslam Gallery – SOLD OUT.
APRICITY, Little Buckland Gallery, Cheltenham
Jerram Gallery, Sherborne
Graham Hunter gallery, London
2022
Affordable Art Fair Singapore with Carina Haslam Gallery
Affordable Art Fair Battersea with Carina Haslam Gallery - SOLD OUT
“Winter salon” Graham Hunter Gallery
West Bristol Arts Trail, Bristol
Broadway Arts Festival-Art Competition Exhibition Finalist
BS9 Arts Trail, Bristol
Portside Gallery, Bristol
Lighthouse Gallery, Penzance
The Tyler Gallery, Mousehole
The Moreton Gallery, Moreton-in-Marsh, Cotswolds
Contemporary Art Fairs, Newbury
Group exhibition SPRING Art Gallery, Cheltenham
Bath Contemporary Artists Fair
Contemporary Art Fairs Surrey Spring
The Lightship Arts Festival, John Sebastian Quay, Bristol
Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, Street UK
North Street Gallery, Bristol
2021
North Street Gallery, Bristol
West Bristol Arts Trail, Bristol
Summer Plein Air Show, Brodilovo, Bulgaria
Clifton Arts Summer Exhibition, Bristol UK - Won the people’s choice award.
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2022, Compton Verney
Saatchi Art Online Gallery