Artist Julie Armbruster talks sharks and gesso

There's nothing like eating a southern breakfast under a team of manatee angels. I was eating biscuits and gravy at the Early Girl Eatery in Asheville, NC, when I became enchanted by these small, colorful paintings on the walls. There was a swarm of blubbery angels and a potato boy. They were cartoony but very textured. The paintings have a beautiful, milky encaustic surface that makes the wild imagery even more mysterious and dreamlike. I decided to e-mail artist Julie Armbruster about her work. [Pictured left: Her Evil Nature Could No Longer Remain Hidden. 4 x 5 inches. Click on photo for larger image.] Gusto: How did you become an artist? Julie Armbruster: I have always loved the idea of becoming an artist, but I originally studied to be a teacher. After I tried teaching at a private school/cult in Connecticut I decided I needed to be a better artist if I wanted to be able to teach. So, I enrolled in the most fantastic MA program at NYU to study painting in Venice, Italy. It never occurred to me that being an artist was a viable option, but I spent months enjoying the idea of it. I had a fantastic studio in Venice off of the Zattere and spent every waking hour working out my ideas. The more [time] I spent painting and drawing the more I became addicted to the idea of making a go at exploring my personal vision more seriously. I spent the next two years in Williamsburg, Brooklyn trying to keep my head above water and make enough money to earn free time. It was a losing battle and I decided to move to a place where I could work less for money and more for myself. I moved to Asheville, NC in 2005 and have been working on my paintings ever since. I spend about 30 hours a week in the studio and feel that I have just scratched the surface of where I want to be as an artist. There is a unique balance here of creative people, affordable living, and natural beauty in Asheville and I feel that the energy and creative support I’ve found here keeps me going. More specifically, it was my first show at Early Girl Eatery that helped me to believe that this was a real option. When I proposed the show to the owners I had no new work. I wanted to make it site specific. I wanted to incorporate the quirkiness of Asheville with the diner colors of the restaurant with my own personal vision. Three months later, I made over 40 paintings for the opening and worked out my current process. Within a year I sold over 100 paintings and have set up two studios and maintain a 30-hour studio work week. I currently have a new show up at Early Girl. It is becoming more real to me with every show; I grow more and my paintings are becoming increasingly involved, detailed, and personal.