Process

My process is meditative. I gravitate towards all different kinds of materials and am constantly collecting pieces of inspiration, from photography, papers and fabrics to insects and plant life. I begin creating by observing these pieces of inspiration and meditating on their arrangement. Slowly a narrative begins to reveal itself. In a back-and-forth process of mark making, collaging, and layering this narrative, which began as a scattered observation, develops into its own moment. The careful repetitive nature of deconstructing and reconstructing my materials by hand allows me to enter a very tranquil and introspective space throughout the creative process and always leaves me feeling intimately attached to the artwork I create. As my hand works through this intensive layering process I am thinking about my own relationship with the narrative I am creating but also about the endless potential that I hope to provoke in viewers as they find their own path through the finished pieces. I work in a wide range of artistic mediums including oil, gouache, ink, found object, embroidery, collage, fiber and print making.

BIO

Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Julia Mae Bancroft grew up deeply inspired by nature. In 2009 she moved to Washington DC where she attended The Corcoran College of Art + Design, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in 2013. Spending a semester abroad living in London England Bancroft first explored interests in fashion design at the Central Saint Martins College of Art + Design. It was here that she began consistently incorporating hand stitching into artwork, incredibly moved by the one-of-a-kind practice of couture embroidery. The discovery of this medium in combination with Bancroft’s background in darkroom photography and painting melded into her current mixed media practice. Currently, still living in Washington DC, she continues to fuse a variety of media throughout her process, consistently building upon technique and material. Bancroft has been a represented artist in Washington DC since 2016, producing three solo exhibitions as well as participating in several group exhibitions.

Education

2013      B.F.A. The Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 Art Exhibition Experience featuring Julia Mae Bancroft, Purple Fern Studio, Winchester, VA

2019 Through Glass Lace, Morton Fine Art, Washington DC

2017      Mending Moments, Morton Fine Art, Washington DC

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021        FEMME Artists for Global Gender Equality, Art Impact International, Virtual Exhibition

2020      Moments in Time…a very weird time, Athenaeum, Alexandria, VA

2018 New Works by MFA Artists, a pop-up project* by Morton Fine Art at Gallery B, Bethesda, MD

2017      Alchemical Vessels, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington, DC

2016      Handmade Made By Hand, Morton Fine Art, Washington, DC

2013      NEXT, Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC

Extended Artist CV