When I saw that California artist Julia Lucey had a new exhibition, Trying to Fit In, at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, I immediately made plans to see it. I first admired her mixed media collages in last year’s exhibition at the gallery.

This time around Lucey’s experimenting with printing plants on top of each other rather than collaging all of them. And she’s adding human design elements like polka dots to play with the natural camouflage that animals rely on. Watch her artist’s talk to learn more.

Here’s a description of her current show from Wally Workman:

“Lucey’s body of work is deceivingly playful. In her depictions of nature, the eye is drawn to the bright colors and intricate details of her craft, but the underlying messages in them reference the issues facing wildlife, its dissolution, and the attempt by many to redirect its path. Animals are struggling to find their place to exist within shrinking habitats, where the ecology is being cemented over by mankind. In her pieces, the animals wear a costume or camouflage as a means for survival, to hide from us, as our increasing encroachment increases our encounters with them. Lucey wants to brighten this dismal foretelling and suggest hope for a balance between the natural and the built worlds. She creates traditional aquatint etchings, then she cuts and collages the fine paper into elaborate compositions, completing the piece by painting on the collaged surface. The result is a visual tableau much like the European tapestries of the 17th Century but with a 21st Century message.”

There’s so much detail to discover in each piece.

Lucey features native plants and animals from her home region in California.

The moodier ones are my favorites.

But the fanciful portraits are appealing too.

This one gives Austin vibes with its owls and bats.

Which one is your favorite?

If you’re interested in seeing Trying to Fit In, go soon. The last day is Sunday, September 29th.

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Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

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