Meet Julia Frances Vaive

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Frances Vaive.

Hi Julia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
So my story begins in Dickson, TN. I am technically a California native, born in San Luis Obispo, but my mom’s family is from Nashville, so when I was three we moved to Dickson. I would say that everyone I can think of on my father’s side is in the creative field in some form. Painters, illustrators, printmakers, animators, jewelry, clothing, baking, etc. I like to say that I was destined to be in the arts in some way from birth. In high school, I spent most of my study time focusing on my art classes over any other class. I was even a part of a group of students who petitioned for the school to offer more advanced art curriculum (and won), for there was not much to offer in that field in a small town. The last couple of years of my time in TN were spent feeling like I did not belong. There was no way for me to grow and expand my knowledge of the world around me, so I somehow convinced my father to support my decision to move back to California. In 2011 at age 17, I left for Los Angeles. I immediately found a job at a coffee shop, worked as a manager there for a couple of years and then found my place at Trader Joes while I worked my way through classes at El Camino Community College in Torrance. Eventually transferring to Cal State Fullerton to receive my BFA in Painting and Drawing. I graduated in the spring of 2020 and after working at Trader Joes for six years, I decided to quit my job and become a full-time artist. The past few months since then have filled me with much more creative opportunity than I could have hoped to have as a 17 years old moving to a big city by myself. I now have my own studio space at Big Art Labs in the arts district, which my partner Alex and I have transformed to double as a gallery space called Frances Gallery, where we help emerging artists grow. Our first show represents painter Patrick Semple and ceramicist Linda Jumie Ra. Alex and I also have a podcast/artist platform called Artory DTLA, which functions under the umbrella of the account called Happening in DTLA. On it, we interview creatives in the LA area, provide photography, videography and an opportunity to display their works in our gallery space.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think in every personal journey there will always be obstacles. I had my share of responses and opinions against my choice to move here to LA right at the beginning, specifically being told that I would never survive and I’d be back in Dickson in three months tops. Then of course, the idea of wanting to pursue any career in the art world, generally, already has its share of doubts from people who could not imagine taking on that field themselves. The idea that there is no money in being a creative and especially no fulfillment in it when you don’t have that money is truly disheartening. The unfortunate side effect of that response is that you can start to believe it yourself if you don’t have the proper community to lift you back up. So I had my share of personal doubts and took on a path of business for a short time, thinking I would manage some cafe or something that had nothing to do with my own true purpose. I spent extra years in college taking courses that really had nothing to do with my creative path, such as chemistry because that doubt really ate away at my ability to process who I was and what I truly wanted. Regardless, I can say that I have been very grateful for that time processing that doubt, for it has given me the ability to value my craft and career even more.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My personal creative work revolves around the idea that nature is the sole keeper of our ability to function and understand life as a whole. That being immersed within it can heal most mental wounds (and physical if used properly), can provide unlimited inspiration and can be a shared experience between all beings. My first projects were large reclaimed wood panel paintings of abstracted iris flowers, which is the state flower of TN. It eventually led me to my most current and well-known medium; sumi ink on paper. I use a hand dip calligraphy pen to create small drawings of trees and flowers; the main connectors between every country and piece of land out there. I have recently transferred those small drawings to a larger scale, recreating them on walls inside home spaces as a way to provide people with their own personal connection to the vast spread of nature that surrounds us. It is easy to forget when you’re in a large urban city that these life forms are out there within reach and they need us just as much as we need them. Another medium I spend a lot of time with is wood. In a time of personal despair, I created a series of “Mountainscapes” which represent the view one sees when looking out at a layered landscape from the top of a viewpoint, but at a smaller scale. They are three-dimensional, sculptural pieces that I create as a way to hopefully inspire others to explore these views themselves. This concept has recently been commissioned, alongside my partner Alex Feliciano, as a large-scale version to a lobby of a complex going up in West Adams in the next couple of years.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Los Angeles for its ability to foster opportunity, connection, engagement with the arts in all mediums and its proximity to numerous environments. For example, the mountains, the ocean, the desert and the forest. All within reach, unlike my hometown in TN, though it does have its own form of natural beauty. This city can really provide an abundance of meaningful things in any way that one seeks. Especially providing opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life, all over the world. It is a meeting point for growth, knowledge and inspiration. With that being said though, the city can be quite consuming if you’re not careful. I think it is easy for anyone who has visited to say that there is a chaotic, frantic energy here. A long history of fluctuating communities, businesses and types of people have made their way through and it’s very obvious. It can be severely overwhelming at times if you aren’t careful to protect yourself and seek peace where you can find it. That is why I make the works that I do. They are an honest reminder that staying connected to our earth and our source outside of this urban environment can ground you and help you find your center again.

Pricing:

• Framed, Sumi Ink Drawings – $65 Each – 5”x7” in 8”x10” Frame

Contact Info:

• Email: info@juliafrancesart.com
• Website: juliafrancesart.com
• Instagram: juliafrances_art

Image Credits:
I. Alexander Feliciano