Southern Artist Spotlight Series: Jules Cozine

September 2, 2013

Southern Artist Spotlight Series: Jules Cozine

I am excited to introduce you to a very talented Southern artist whom I have coaxed into sharing with us. Her work has a beautiful and unforgettable etherial quality. Enjoy!

Jules Cozine

St. Petersburg, Florida

Depth

What is your training?

I have a Bachelor of Fine Art from University of Georgia. I have my Master of Fine Art from Georgia State University. I have studied art in Italy and England and Japan. I taught as a graduate student for three years at Georgia State University before I began teaching at Savannah College of Art and Design. I studied with Herbert Creecy in undergrad at University of Georgia and with Pam Longobardi at Georgia State, great artists, I am still inspired. My master’s degree thesis paper focused on the amazing paintings and printmaking of Helen Frankenthaler.

What inspires you and your designs?

My inspiration is from nature. The natural world is a visual delight for me. I love plants and animals for their patterns and intricate detail. I love water and the sky for their ongoing movement and color. Moving to Florida showed me a whole new environment to study.

What is your favorite piece?

This is a hard one to say because my favorite piece is almost always the one I am working on currently. Because the work on each piece is long and slow, it becomes meditative and therefore really personal. So I love each piece and want to hold on to it for a little while because of the memories I have tied to it.

So here is a picture of my latest work and current fave: Japan II

How has your area influenced your work?

Saint Petersburg, Florida is a peninsula surrounded by water. Because of this, there is water everywhere from Tampa Bay to the Intracoastal Waterway, to all the tiny lakes in between. I love seeing the water and seeing cloud reflections in it. The large areas of water allow for amazing views of clouds. I have a series of paintings that show clouds merging into the sea. So, even as I walk around my neighborhood I have amazing water-sky combinations to look at. I can’t even begin to describe how great the storms look!

What is your favorite restaurant in (your city)?

Cassis Brasserie – A true French brasserie, with the pommes frites in brown bags and everything! The owner is French and every aspect about the place is perfect.

What is your favorite cocktail?

Right now, I enjoy ordering a key lime vodka martini.

How do you balance personal life and work?

I have to paint at night and do most business in the evening after the kids are settled. Now for the first time I will have three hours in the daytime to work because my youngest just started Pre-K. Luckily, I live over my studio. I bought a 1921 carriage house that had been turned into a hardware store with an apartment above. It’s a 90 year old structure in the historic district of St. Petersburg. It’s got character, high ceilings and no commute!

Dream trip?

I would love to go visit my 2 Japanese exchange students in Takamatsu, Japan. I have hosted a student for one week in the summer for the last two years. It has been a wonderful experience and I would love to see their hometown which is a beautiful waterfront city. It is the sister city of Saint Petersburg, FL. Then, I would go explore all of Japan.

Dream commission?

My dream would be to create a huge painting installation to be placed in an airport terminal.

Your favorite hostess gift?

I like to give a giant nautilus seashell that has been sanded and polished. It is one of nature’s best examples of art. I like the symbolism of the golden mean and the shell is just amazing to look at and study.

Who is your style icon?

The late, great iconic Lilly Pulitzer, her clothing and her style. It may sound cliché coming from someone living in Florida, but I have been wearing her dresses since my first daughter was born 8 years ago when I lived in Atlanta. The dresses truly are practical and beautiful. I adore color and wear it daily. I don’t think I have anything black anymore. The simplicity of the original shifts of cotton and block pattern, I just love.

Your favorite up and coming artist/designer/ jewelry designer?

My fave jewelry designer would be Whitney Rooker with Whitney Beads. I wear her jewelry all the time.

Another favorite designer is Cinda Boomershine of Cinda b., handbags and luggage and other small accessories.

What is your most treasured possession?

My Iphone 5 because of the camera and the connections it gives me. I am always taking photos of nature and art inspiration with it as well as pix of my family. I love the fact that the images can be scrap-booked and edited right there wherever I am. It’s a purse-sized photo album always with me. It is also my lifeline to my kids. I would be lost without it.

What are you reading?

My current book is “Monet by Himself” edited by Richard Kendall. A book of Monet’s letters to colleagues and family translated into English. I am fascinated by his work and his rich life.

What are you listening to?