PUMA, JULIE

Statement
Julie Puma was born in Brooklyn but currently lives in Denver.  She received her BA from Western Illinois University; her first Masters is in art therapy from The School of The Art Institute in Chicago, and finally her masters of fine art in visual art from Vermont College of Fine art.  She has been teaching for about fifteen years and  is currently Full Professor + Head of Foundations Online at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver.  She has exhibited her work locally and nationally.  Mostly she paints, but is also interested in installation, video, sculpture and photography.

Puma’s current work explores childhood amnesia and autobiography.  After her mother died when she was six,  she  experienced a period of seven years of amnesia. The process of making art has been transformative and healing for Puma.  In her own words “I’ve chosen to abstract and flatten the backgrounds as memory lives in the undefined. I find the subject of memory fascinating. The brain is a complex organ that functions at times independently of time and space.”

Inspired by old family photographs, she’s been creating paintings, paired with small installations. Using oil paint  for her  process fits the content of the  work.  The smooth, fluid nature of the medium provides a soothing experience where feelings, thoughts, desires and memories can be sublimated. 

Masters of Art in Art Therapy | Masters in Fine Art in visual Art | Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design—Denver  | 

To see more of her work visit: juliepuma.com