Julia Wynn Safer

About

My art is a response to my daily experiences as a woman in late Twentieth/early Twenty-first century America. I have always contemplated the roles and behavioral expectations of the woman in American culture with confusion. Is she the housewife and homemaker; the quiet and submissive wallflower or the obnoxious and pushy bitch - or, all of the above? Within each of these conventionalized ideas, the woman is always an object. Her value is customarily based upon her sexual availability or non-availability. Negotiating among such realities has usually meant biting my tongue. Ultimately, I have found humor in such ridiculous female stereotypes. I comment on this amusement in my works by depicting fantasy ideals. Recently, I have stepped into my art, creating self-portraits that are thus increasingly more personal. I juxtapose myself to people, objects and animals that relate to women. In so doing, my paintings have become less of an obsessive commentary on the fantasy-woman ideal and more an interpretation of my response to such unrealistic ideals, as well as to the many other fears and expectations that come with being a woman. … Read More

Education

Education
1999 M.F.A., Painting - Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia

1991 B.A., Liberal Arts - Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia
1991 B.F.A., Photography & Painting - The Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Solo and Group Exhibitions

2006Icarus, The Savannah Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2005 Whatever Your Art Desires, Silent Auction, The Community Center of Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
1999Panties and Pumps, Rapid Transit Gallery, Savannah, Georgia
1998Jewels of the South, Sarah Bain Gallery, Fullerton, California
1998Valdosta Works on Paper Exhibition, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia
1998Big Picture, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia
1996Clay Along the 33rd Parallel, The 5th Annual Ceramics Exhibition, Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas
1996Fourth Annual Peach Belt Art Exhibition, Milledgeville, Georgia
1996Fine Arts Lobby, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Georgia
1992, 1995, 1996Fine Arts Gallery, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Georgia
1992 Lane Library, Savannah, Georgia
1989 Lowery Hall, Atlanta, Georgia
1988 Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, … Read More