Julia Bloom is a versatile artist who works in both painting and sculpture. Her inspiration comes from forests. While her paintings often distill the complexity of her stick sculptures to heavily worked planes of paint, marks and intersections, her sculptures and their cross-hatched grids, spires and fractals often evoke figures, huts, totems and nests. In both her paintings and sculptures, light and shadow are critical elements. Her work is included in several permanent collections, including the University of Virginia School of Law and the United States Embassy in Peru.
April 26, 2022, charcoal on black typed diary entries on Kitikata paper, 17 x 21 inches
March 11, 2022, charcoal on black typed diary entries on Lokte paper, 30 x 20 inches
December 23, 2021, charcoal on black typed diary entries on Shiramine paper, 17 x 21 inches
January 12, 2022, charcoal on black typed diary entries on Kitikata paper, 8 x 8 inches
Selected Solo & Two Person Exhibitions
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC Branched: Julia Bloom & Jackie Battenfield – 2017
Athenaeum, Alexandria, VA – 2016
Catalyst Projects, Washington, DC – Sculptors Draw, 2014
Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA – Julia Bloom & William Alburger, 2013 Century Center Artspace, Arlington, VA – Alan Binstock & Julia Bloom, Wood, Glass, Steel, 2011
Addison Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC, 1997,1995
Cardinal Gallery, Annapolis, MD, 1994
Arnold & Porter, Washington, DC, 1994
Lucky Street Gallery, Key West, FL, 1993
Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC, 1992
McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA, 1992,1990
Selected Group Exhibitions
The Gray Gallery, Winchester, VA – Guide Lines, 2016
Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington, DC – Micro-Monuments, 2016
Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD – Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, Artists in Dialogue with the Landscape, 2014, 2016
Takoma Park Community Center, Takoma Park, MD – Personal Panoramas, 2016
Salzland Museum, Schoenebeck, Germany – Micro-Monuments, 2015
Popcorn Gallery at Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD – Defining Lines, 2015 BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD – Native Species, 2015 Addison Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC – Natural Allusions, curated by Jackie Battenfield, 2015 Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington,
DC − Sculpture Now 2014 − WashingtonSculptors Group 30th Anniversary, 2014
Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, MD − Axis, 2014
Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA − Artist Member Exhibition, 2014
Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD – Outdoor Sculpture Invitational 2014, Artists in Dialogue with the Landscape, 2014
Athenaeum, Alexandria, VA – Louloudi, 2014
Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, LLP, Washington, DC, 2013 Towers Crescent Lobby, Tysons Corner, VA, 2013
McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA – Edges and Grids, 2012
Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven, CT – Artist’s Choice, 2012
McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA – Something & Nothing, 2012 BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD – By the Numbers, 2011 Historical Society of Washington, DC & The Washington Sculptors Group – Porous Borders, 2010
The Art League Gallery, Alexandria, VA – Washington Square Sculpture Show, 2009 Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA – Faraway Nearby, 2009
MOCA DC, Washington, DC, 2006
Union Printmakers Atelier, Washington, DC, 2005
Bachelier Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT, 2003
Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston, VA – ArtSites 98, 1998
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, 1998
Emerson Project for the Arts, McLean, Virginia, 1995
International Design Center, Long Island City, NY, 1992
Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, PA, 1992
Kurtz Cultural Center, Winchester, VA, 1992
Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA – Painting’91, 1991
McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA – The Daily Progress Show, 1991 Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, 1990
Awards & Honors
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities – 2017, 2016 & 2014 Artist Fellowship Program Grants
James Renwick Alliance – Award of Excellence, 2012
Washington Square Sculpture Show – Honorable Mention, 2009 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowships, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 1997
Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Fellowship, 2009
Virginia Commission for the Arts Individual Artist Grant, 1996
Publications
Mendez, Matthew Eric, ed. Geometry in the Life of Artists: 12 Original Essays. N.p.: n.p., 2016. Print.
Jenkins, Mark. “In the Galleries: Julia Bloom and Susan Hostetler.” The Washington Post [Washington, DC] 22 July. 2016.
Jenkins, Mark. “In the Galleries: Rooted in Nature but Not Always Natural.” The Washington Post [Washington, DC] 6 Mar. 2015: n. pag. The Washington Post. Mar. 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
Landau, Lauren, prod. “Art Beat With Lauren Landau, March 7.” Art Beat With Lauren Landau. WAMU, Washington, DC, 7 Mar. 2014. Radio.
Bobo, Angela & Norusis, Lynn. “Futuristic Fairytale.” Northern Virginia Magazine Sept. 2013: 44-63. Print.
Jenkins, Mark. “D.C. Gallery Shows from Zukerman, Bloom, Alburger and Others.” The Washington Post 2 Aug. 2013: n. page. Print.
Rems, Janet. “Inspired by Nature.” The Fairfax Times. N.p., 12 June 2013. Web. 21 June 2013.
O’Sullivan, Michael. The Washington Post. 24 May 2013, 17.
Zevitas, Steven T., ed. Studio Visit 22 (2013): 18. Print.
Lang, Zofie. “Inspiration and Feedback – A Shared Studio at the Union Arts Building.” Web log post. East City Art RSS. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 31 May 2013.
Lee, Jasmine. “Fall/Winter Exhibitions at the McLean Project for the Arts.” Northern Virginia Magazine 13 Dec. 2012: n. page. Web.
New American Paintings, Juried Exhibition-in-Print. Number 27, 2000.
Poet Lore. Vol. 94, No. 3 (Fall. 1999). Cover.
Southern Accents. Vol. 22. No. 3 (May – June 1999). 195.
Washington Review. Special ArtSites 98 Edition, Vol. XXIV, No. 1, 1998, June/July, pp. 16-17. Gibson, Eric. The Washington Times. 21 May 1992, M 5. Wilson, Janet. The Washington Post. 6 July 1991, 2.
Selected Permanent Collections
University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, VA Wheat First Securities, Richmond, VA
U.S. State Department – U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru
Education
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Boston Museum of Fine Arts School, Boston, MA
Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA