Julie Bender Art

2011-12-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

'Tis the Season to Give!!

"Between the Lines" 14"x11"
(available - sans Santa cap - at Lovetts Gallery. Call Lovetts for details)

~ A Charitable Offering ~

In the spirit of the holiday season, I am offering two feathered friends below to you at a discounted price. Then, 50% of those proceeds will go directly to a charity of YOUR choice.
These original pyrographic works were created in 2010, produced on northern grade A maple wood, lovingly created by hand in the same detail by which you have come to know my work. Each is encased in a museum-quality frame and ready to hang on your wall. What a better gift for the holidays than an original - and unique - work of art?

"Shades of Blue and Red" (male stellar jay) 10"x8"
$800 + shipping

"Keeping them Warm" (robin) 18"x11"
$900 + shipping

Please inquire at julie@juliebender.com

2011-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Woodson Museum acquires
"Ivy League"

In my mind, there is no greater validation for an artist than to have a museum express its desire to purchase her work for its permanent collection. Even nicer that it was the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, following the 2011 Birds in Art exhibition. Inspired by my favorite songbird, the whimsical white-breasted nuthatch, “Ivy League,” was juried into this year’s show of approximately100 works chosen among just under 1,000 entries by nearly 600 artists from around the globe. It is quite an honor to be selected to exhibit at this internationally acclaimed annual juried exhibition that showcases a variety of flat and 3D artistic styles – from impressionism to satirical caricature.

This marks my second year at Birds in Art, an exhibition that sets the standard for avian art. Artists are challenged to work outside the box conceptually and inventively and bring to the table their best and most creative work. The judging criteria always remain the same: meeting and exceeding the expectations of a world class jury. Make no mistake that the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum seeks to present the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter.

The inaugural weekend this year was thrilling for me personally as well as professionally. It is fabulous to see all the awe-inspiring art, to strengthen frienships with the invited artists in attendance, museum staff, patrons and guests. But on a personal note, I was fortunate to meet another artist who employs pyrography as her primary medium. Nobuko Kumasaka from Japan was also there representing her rendition of spot-billed ducks on basswood entitled “Take Five.” Our techniques are quite different, as is the wood on which we burn. We took to each other as if we were two long lost friends, breaking through our language barrier and learning so much about each other and her art.

GOA Premier at Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve

2011-06-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Gallery of Artists visits Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

l-r - Wes Siegrist, Rachelle Siegrist, James Hines, Jan Martin McGuire, Paul Rhymer, Robert Caldwell, Julie Bender, Dale Weiler

The weekend of May 6-8, 2011 was an exciting start to what we hope continues as a lustrous endeavor for a small group of artists who call ourselves The Gallery of Artists. GOA was formed in order to give ourselves a uniquely promising outlet for selling our artwork at museums throughout the country, while at the same time using our knowledge of our respective mediums to educate the local public. Peruse our website to find out about our individual passions for art and wildlife as well as our collective purpose of this group of highly ambitious artists.

Established in 1925 as the ranch retreat of oilman Frank Phillips, Woolaroc is a 3,700 acre wildlife preserve, home to many species of native and exotic wildlife, such as buffalo, elk and longhorn cattle. Woolaroc is also a museum with an outstanding collection of western art and artifacts, including a broad representation of paintings by many of the "Old Masters" of western art, such as Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and Thomas Moran.

When arriving at the gates of Woolaroc and driving down the winding, scenic 2 mile drive, one is immediately struck by the vast, beautiful landscape, which is home to numerous species of native and exotic wildlife such as bison, elk, longhorn cattle, emus, zebras, ostriches, so many birds and more.

While driving toward the museum, I found this little guy casually strolling in the middle of the road and stopped to pick him up and put him out of harm's way. He eventually got through a tough-squeeze and escaped to safety!

Friday evening brought in museum patrons, sponsors and invited guests to our catered VIP party. Proceeds from sales went in part to Woolaroc to further their worthy programs while a percentage went toward The Nature Conservancy management efforts. It is our heartfelt privilege to work in collaboration with these venues in order to benefit their surrounding local communities.

Another way GOA works with its museum partners is to offer free live art presentations. Each attending artist prepared an hour-long presentation focusing on their process and technique to be given on Saturday and Sunday. It was our way of thanking the museum for having us while giving back to the Northern Oklahoma community.

Giving my presentation Saturday morning

Some of the outdoor sites I was lucky to see at Woolaroc!

Nuthatch….my favorite bird to showcase in my work

Zebra enjoying a nice scratch against a post

A few of the many buffalo roaming the Woolaroc habitat

Looking forward to taking our artwork to the Ward Waterfowl Museum in Salisbury, Maryland in just two weeks! For information on GOA or our upcoming events, visit us at The Gallery of Artists.

Contact me at Julie@juliebender.com for information on my artwork, or visit me at http://www.juliebender.com/.

Trenton and Happy

2011-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

NatureWorks 2011 in Tulsa, OK (March 5-6) is etched in my mind as one of the best times in my artist career. My new collection seemed well-received, got to spend time with artist friends and catch up with all their news, and just participating at that show is such a thrill.

But by far the best part of this year's show for me was getting to see one of my collectors and his family. Ray and Terry Norton of Broken Arrow, OK, purchased a work from me at NatureWorks 2010. Later in the year he commissioned me to produce a piece of art of his grandson, Trenton, and his English Mastiff, Happy. The two boys are best friends....actually more like inseparable. Over the next couple months, Ray shot and sent me photos he took of the pair in order for me to select THE photo on which to base my art. Once it was determined which photo I would use, I got to work. After that point, he sent me emails explaining just how important these two boys are in his life and what they mean to each other. As a result, thanks to Ray sharing a piece of their life, this artist was able to not only execute a piece of art, but create a labor of love, as it is the story behind the art that is most moving. Suffice it to say here that Trenton and Happy share a deep-seated, heartfelt adoration for each other and are happiest when they are together.

Finally, the piece was created, framed and ready for me to bring to the show. Ray and I set it up that the piece would hang so that Trenton, attending the Friday night gala with Grandma and Grandpa, would enter my booth and be surprised. But, before they left for the show that evening, Trenton was instructed that he could pick out any piece of art that he wanted, and Grandpa Ray would buy it for him. The only condition was that it had to "remind him of home." Ray called me on my cell to let me know they were on their way.

Naturally, I was on pins and needles, Ray, Terry and I had anticpated this surprise for months, and the day was finally here! Twenty minutes later I saw them strolling through the Renaissance hotel ballroom and turning the corner toward my booth. Ray was holding Trenton's 6 1/2 year old hand, giving me a cautious wave with the other. I nodded and acted aloof when Ray said to Trenton "Let's go in here."

Trenton walked into my booth, carefully scanned my wall of art until he came to a piece that surprisingly DID remind him of home! The look on his precious face tells the rest of the story. Thankfully, I had arranged for the wife of an artist friend to take photos as Trenton's reaction unfolded, as I really just wanted to enjoy the moment. Thanks to April Kemp (Jay Kemp's wife) for taking these shots.

So, we enjoyed each others company for a while, hugged, talked and took lots of pics. It was a great evening with a great family.

Fast forward to the Sunday......Ray, Terry and Trenton returned to pick up the piece. What I had not expected, however, was Trenton's gorgeous work of art that he presented to ME. Wow. How humbling to see myself placed into his family portrait. How thoughtful of Trenton to do this for me. I will frame it and treasure it always. I feel I not only have a collector, but have new life-long friends.

Art comes in many forms, from pyrography to crayons. But it is this lasting memory I will carry in my heart that holds the most value to me.

Horsing Around

2010-12-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed last sunny Sunday out in the field photographing horses for upcoming pieces. Amazing how spirited these guys are. They really remind me of my three dogs....only much bigger of course. They play hard, bite hard, roll on their backs for a good scratch, bump and rear each other, get angry, stalk each other, roll their eyes, you name it. I stood for hours watching their behavior and taking in the fun. It was amazing the number of them that came to me for affection. In fact, I missed some great shots because some felt the need to lean in on me and block others from my view. Sabotage!!

Managed to get some GREAT closeups and nice candid shots, so expect to see some serious detail, interesting compositions and "looks."

New Website!

2010-12-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

JulieBender.com - the next generation - is up and running! Redesigned with easy-to-follow navigation, including four portfolios of work, social media links to keep you in touch with me wherever my art takes me, easy-on-the-eye design and style, I am thrilled to have recently launched this update. For this, I would like to acknowledge my very good friend and gifted oil painter and graphite artist Robert Caldwell. Robert proved equal to the task and turned around a beautiful website that I can maintain from this point on. My intention is to keep it fresh, current, informative and well-designed. I invite your thoughts, ideas and any suggestions you might have to improve it.

Scroll Saw Magazine

2010-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I was approached by Scroll Saw Magazine to participate in its first issue devoted entirely to the art of pyrography. Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts is the how-to magazine for woodworkers & crafters, so it was a special honor to be included in this inaugural Scroll Saw Pyrography edition.

This article addresses some of my process in producing works, as well as my inspiration. Four of my works are displayed throughout the article. Other guest artists discuss their techniques and styles and offer information on how to get started in pyrography and where to buy tools and other materials.

Waterfowl Festival 2010

2010-12-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

I want to acknowledge an absolutely wonderful Waterfowl Festival 2010 in charming Easton, Maryland. All artists exhibited under one roof at the historic Tidewater Inn. This was my third year at the Waterfowl Festival and each year is more fun. Sales were up for me, selling works to new and existing collectors. It was such a joy to meet so many onlookers and discuss my art. I appreciate each and every guest who stops by.

Each year the show offers a Thursday evening preview party to its patrons, underwriters and corporate sponsers who are offered the opportunity to preview all the art for sale before the show is open to the public Friday morning. This year's party featured a new event, the Voter's Choice award. Artists were asked to designate one of their works toward the vote. Voters cast their votes all evening and they were tallied up after the party. Announcements were made, and much to my surprise and delight I won for my work entitled Sentinel of the Marsh! It was incredibly humbling to have been recognized for this honor, given the numerous outstanding works by all artists in attendance. A beautiful blue ribbon and basket of local Chesapeake Bay gourmet goodies were awarded, and an article on my work appeared in Easton's Sunday Star newspaper. I am even more proud to say that Sentinel of the Marsh sold to new collectors on Sunday afternoon.

Many thanks to those volunteers who put on a stellar event, year after year, and are dedicated to the many artists, patrons and guests who travel near and far to attend this amazing event and all it has to offer. If you've never been, I highly recommend this show to you next November. It never fails to please.