Julia Bertussi is an artist from Pearl River, New York. She is currently working as the Assistant Director of Education at One River School of Art and Design in Hartsdale. She graduated from Ithaca College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in art education. Although she is passionate about art education in her daily life, Julia’s attachment to abstract art is undeniable. She specializes in oil painting and mixed media work, specifically focusing on soft pastels and ink combined in one piece. Her work tends to focus on an exploration of liminality and disturbed synchronicity, while also portraying psychological themes, personal narratives, and societal critiques. These themes emerge in colorful abstractions, specific linework, and representations of the human figure. She subconsciously, but consistently, explores the contradictory nature of everyday experiences through depictions of abstracted normalcy.
Perceptions are deceiving—more often than not, our outward expression of our emotions is different from how we are actually feeling. There are standard expressions associated with each emotion—a happy person smiles, a sad person cries, an angry person frowns and yells, and so on. Regardless of societal expectations for emoting, each individual expresses themselves in their own way. Just as there are standards and alternatives for how individuals are expected to emote, there are also standards and alternatives for completeness in art. As I grappled with the comparison between the different ways we emote, I explored what it means for a work of art to be complete. Visual completeness, or lack thereof, is depicted in the series through varying amounts of line work, rendering, color blocking, abstraction, and strategic use of negative space. In short, this series compares the standard expression of emotions and their alternatives through a visual exploration of what it means for art to be “finished” or “complete”.
CvEducation
2022 Ithaca College - Bachelor of Arts in Art Education
2006-2018 Art and Design Studios of Rockland
Work Experience
2022-One River School of Art and Design - Director of Education
2021- Private Art Tutoring
2021-2022 Ithaca College, Gallery Art Monitor
2015- Commissioned Artist
2014-2020 Art and Design Studios of Rockland, Assistant Art Teacher
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Finding Wholeness in Imperfection
Solo exhibition at the Community Arts Partnership ArtSpace in Ithaca, NY
Exhibitions
2025 Piermont Library Solo Exhibition - That's The Dream
2024 Piermont Library Gift of Art Group Exhibition
2024 Paula Bohovesky Art Gallery Solo Exhibition - Finding Wholeness in Imperfection
2024 Royal Blue Gallery Abstract Art Juried Exhibition
2024 Paula Bohovesky Art Gallery Solo Exhibition - Nature vs Normalcy
2024 Royal Blue Juried Show Gallery Shadows Exhibition
2023 Shallow Pocket Art Show
2023 Putting a Face to your “Inner Demons” Artist Talk, The Pod Gallery Dobbs Ferry
2023 The In Art Gallery’s Juried 2-Dimensional Exhibition - Best in Show
2022 The In Art Gallery: Juried Painting Exhibition, 3rd place
2021 State of the Art Gallery: December Juried Art Show,Ithaca, NY
2021 Several Utilitarian Chambers Invitational, Ithaca, NY
2021 I See You (IC/CU), Ithaca Ink Shop Exhibition
2020 State of the Art Gallery: December Juried Art Show, Ithaca, NY
2019 What are You Looking At?, Creative Space Gallery, Ithaca, NY
2019 Ithaca College Provost Exhibition, Ithaca, NY
2018 Belskie Museum of Art and Science, Closter, NJ
Articles
2021 Whitman, A. (2021, June 29). 'I see you'. Ithaca Times. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.ithaca.com/entertainment/art/i-see-you/article_1fe67ffe-d450-11eb-8650-f3014f6972aa.html
2021 Perkins, E. (2021, September 21). IC Creatives: Julia Bertussi. YouTube. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://youtu.be/1hJoIdYirv0
2021 Powles, R. (2021, September 23). Senior's Art Exhibit on Display in Downtown Ithaca. IC Current. Ithaca College. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.ithaca.edu/news/seniors-art-exhibit-display-downtown-ithaca
2021 Whitman, A. (2021, September 29). Discombobulation. Ithaca Times. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.ithaca.com/entertainment/art/discombobulation/article_d2856814-20b8-11ec-9657-5f9f54a0c8bf.html
2021 Topping, G. (2021, October 10). Art Student’s First Solo Exhibit: “Finding Wholeness in Imperfection.” Ithaca Week. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.ithacaweek-ic.com/art-students-first-solo-exhibit/
StateNY
CountryUnited States
