I was born and raised in Miami. and I have lived here my whole 33 years of life. I actually live in South Miami on the mainland, but an hour away from Key Largo. My childhood is in my artwork all of the time. My Miami home was surrounded by farms, canals, woods, and Biscayne Bay National Park. It was pretty rural when I was a child now its just clusters of homes. But my weekends and summers where spent building forts, riding bikes with a fishing poles in hand, camping in the woods near the house, and building many rafts (they all sunk or swiftly broke apart on impact).For that brief moment in time I felt like Tom Sawyer. I lived in place that if your mother said "if your friends jump off a bridge would you do it to", and the answer would be YES! Jumping off the over 120 foot high bridge in to a deep dark canal was a time of passage. Our power lines had these giant speakers on them and every Friday at noon a sire howled through the neighborhood like a pack of wolves.. Then a voice would come on and say ,"this is only a test". It is from the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. Two blocks from junior high was a missile sight that was installed for the Cuban missile crisis. When I was a kid I don't think I understood the nature of these man made structures. Now I laugh at stuff like that, and then I pause and say "that was crazy".But this is who I am . All of these things find there way in to my paintings.

Although, I have lived in Florida my entire life, my knowledge of the landscape extends further. My grandmother thought traveling was just as important as school. So we traveled all over this nation. The best thing about these journeys is that we drove and we got to experience so many different places. I think I am just missing seven states. My grandmother was a painter and has influenced me greatly.

I went to Florida International University in Miami and studied art. Art school can be good and bad. The art history courses is where the true education is at. The painting, drawing, and sculpture classes are great about teaching you about materials. But, at the end of the day you have to be able to see beyond what others see. That's where the magic is at, dismantling the world and putting it back together in your own way.

School has been out for many years now. I have been in a few group shows at various places. However, .my home, or the gallery that shows me with some consistency is called Hardcore Art and Contemporary Spaces (HACS). They are a really cool gallery because they are kind to their artists. That bourgeoisie attitude does not exist here.

I am searching for new ways to promote my artwork. Whenever I have an opportunity to show my work I always produce a bunch of hand made stickers to be sold at the gallery.. I want people to be able to own a piece of artwork cheaply.. I think a limited edition t-shirt can uphold the integrity of the art. I don't think its "selling out". For some reason its taboo to make money in art. Yet many people say "I wish I could do something I love and get paid for it"...baffling.

Julie Lopez
Julielfriel@yahoo.com